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Beating Up An Old Man, Assaulting Journalists, And Ramming Protesters With Cars: Police Violence During Protests Caught On Video

Protests Continue Around Detroit After Police Officer Allegedly Punched Woman

Photo by Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)

Scott Morefield Reporter
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Several instances of police violence were caught on video as riots and demonstrations continued across the country in response to George Floyd’s death.

Demonstrations that began in Minneapolis after Floyd died Tuesday in police custody have increasingly turned violent. While some police were initially criticized for their lack of response to looting and other unlawful actions, others of late have been filmed inexplicably assaulting journalists, beating seemingly innocent bystanders, and even ramming protesters with a vehicle.

Journalist Timothy Burke shared a video of Salt Lake City police shoving “an elderly man with a cane for the crime of standing along the street.”

Tanya Kerssen posted a video of national guard troops marching down Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood behind military vehicles, shooting paint canisters, and yelling “light em up.” The National Guard, however, claimed the enforcement officers were not national guard troops in an email statement to Fox9.

Other videos showed New York Police Department vehicles driving into a crowd of protesters. Although the NYPD has so far not responded to a request for comment from Insider, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told NY1 the incident was “troubling,” but claimed the protesters were “surrounding” the vehicle.

Actor John Cusack posted video of police using batons to hit his bike while he was filming a burning vehicle. He also claimed he was hit by pepper spray.

Louisville police were filmed Friday shooting what were initially thought to be rubber bullets at a reporter and camera crew on live TV. Kaitlin Rust of WAVE 3 is heard off-camera shouting “I’m getting shot!” while the news camera catches a police force member firing a weapon in their direction. (RELATED: Cornel West: There Will Be ‘More Violent Explosions’ Without ‘Democratic Sharing’ Of Wealth)

LMPD spokeswoman Jessie Halladay later told WAVE 3 that pepper balls were used because the department does not employ rubber bullets.

“We believe it was one of our SRT officers; we are still trying to identify which officer,” Halladay said during a Saturday press conference with Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, WAVE 3 reported. “Targeting the media is not our intention. There was a lot going on last night, and to be fair to both the officer and to Kaitlin, we need to take a deeper look at what happened and what prompted that action. So we have said that we will do that and if there needs to be discipline we will address it.”

Finally, a woman protesting was filmed being maced and kicked early Sunday by police in Erie, Pennsylvania: