Seattle Officer On Leave After Rolling Bike Over Protester

SEATTLE, WA — The King County Sheriff's Office has begun a criminal investigation after images shared widely on social media showed a Seattle police officer running a bicycle over a person lying in the street during a protest on Capitol Hill Wednesday night. Another video, timestamped a few minutes earlier, appears to show the same person lying on the ground as police pushed back bystanders who tried to offer help.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the police department confirmed that the officer is on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. That officer has not been formally identified.

"During the demonstration that occurred last night, the Seattle Police Department was notified of an incident where, on video, it appears an SPD officer walked the wheels of his bicycle over an individual lying in the street. Immediately after being made aware of this incident, SPD activated the Force Investigation Team (FIT) to document and investigate the use of force – as required by policy — and alerted the Office of Police Accountability (OPA), which also responded to the scene."

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability, which typically probes allegations of officer misconduct, requested the outside investigation after reviewing the video and interviews conducted by the police department's Force Investigation Team, an OPA spokesperson said. According to a news release from the OPA, FIT investigators determined there were possible violations of police department policy, including a potential crime.

Related: Seattle Police Watchdog Releases 1st Batch Of Protest Findings

Police said at 13 people were arrested Wednesday night during a protest that began at Cal Anderson Park and weaved through Capitol Hill and First Hill. Investigators said one person threw an "incendiary device" near bike officers at the East Precinct, and officers encountered bottles and rocks as they attempted to arrest the suspect. In another instance, police said a bike officer was hit in the helmet by an unidentified person with a baseball bat.

Videos shared by journalists with the Stranger and the Seattle Times showed police using pepper spray and blast balls on crowds as small fires burned in the street.