A Seattle construction site is on fire after reportedly being set ablaze by rioters, July, 25, 2020. KING 5 News/YouTube screenshot
Seattle police watched a demonstration turn into a riot Saturday as protesters pelted officers with rocks and reportedly fired explosive devices at them.
The riot occurred just hours before new city council regulations took effect Sunday that severely restrict the police force’s ability to utilize crowd control devices like pepper spray.
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best addresses the press as city crews dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area outside of the Seattle Police Department’s vacated East Precinct on July 1, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best recently told both the council and local businesses that the regulations have made it impossible for her police officers to effectively or safely contain rioters or disperse crowds. (RELATED: Trump: Seattle Only Shut Down CHOP Because ‘We Were Going In’)
The Seattle Police Department first tweeted that the demonstration had turned violent Saturday, noting that a “Group of approximately a dozen people setting fire and causing damage to a portable trailer and construction site … Possible explosions heard on site. Large group in the area. Working to secure access for @SeattleFire.”
Group of approximately a dozen people setting fire and causing damage to a portable trailer and construction site at 12/Jefferson. Possible explosions heard on site. Large group in the area. Working to secure access for @SeattleFire
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) July 25, 2020
By 10 p.m. that night, the police reported that they had “made 45 arrest in connection with today’s riot in the East Precinct, 21 officers sustained injuries after being struck by bricks, rocks mortars/other explosives. Most officers were able to return to duty … ” (RELATED: Seattle Councilmember Says She Can’t Figure Out ‘Why Looting Bothers People’ When ‘People Are Dying Every Day’)
As of 10pm: Police have made 45 arrests in connection with today’s riot in the East Precinct. 21 officers sustained injuries after being struck by bricks, rocks mortars/other explosives. Most officers were able to return to duty. One was treated at a hospital for a knee injury.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) July 26, 2020
Seattle City Council is considering defunding its police force by cutting its budget by 50%. The city is also reportedly planning to shut down its county jail, which currently incarcerates 60% of the prison population.