Seattle Police Reviewing Use Of Force In Protest Arrest

SEATTLE, WA — The Seattle Police Department said it is reviewing officers' use of force in an arrest made Friday night during protests over the killing of George Floyd.

In a statement Saturday afternoon, the department said it was reviewing one arrest that "had received media attention," apparently referring to a widely-shared video showing an officer punching a man who was being held on the ground.

"That's abuse! He's not doing [expletive]," one bystander can be heard yelling.

The department said Saturday that it facilitates more than 300 "free speech events" each year, most of which take place peacefully.

"Under SPD’s policies relating to crowd management and review of force, any force that is used during the course of last night’s event will undergo a high level of scrutiny and review by the chain of command, SPD’s Force Review Board, the Office of Police Accountability, and the Office of the Inspector General," the department said.

Friday's protests were largely peaceful, the Seattle Times reported, but seven people were arrested after allegedly smashing windows and setting off fireworks downtown.

Another round of protests over Floyd's death were underway Saturday afternoon.

Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed Monday in Minneapolis after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd, 46, begged for air. Protests over his death have spread to cities across the U.S., turning violent in some cases as police officers clashed with demonstrators and some businesses damaged by looters.

Derek Chauvin, 44, the now-former officer who kneeled on Floyd's neck, was charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.