Boston officer caught saying he may have hit protesters with police vehicle

Police and prosecutors in Boston are investigating after body camera footage showed officers pushing protesters, pepper-spraying crowds and one officer talking about hitting protesters with a police vehicle.

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A sergeant was placed on administrative leave after the leak of the footage captured during demonstrations in May after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

The Boston protests on 31 May were mostly peaceful until night-time, when vandalism was reported. More than 50 people were arrested, 18 bystanders were hospitalized and nine officers were treated for injuries, Boston.com reported.

The videos posted on Friday by the Appeal, an online news outlet, showed officers pushing nonviolent demonstrators to the ground, spraying pepper spray on people and into crowds, and one officer saying he may have hit people with a car.

An attorney for the protesters has requested the video.

The police commissioner, William Gross, said in a statement he had ordered an investigation as soon as the videos were brought to his attention.

“I have placed a sergeant involved in this incident on administrative leave and I will take any additional action as necessary at the conclusion of the investigation,” Gross said. “I want to encourage people to bring these matters to our attention so that we can investigate them appropriately.”

Mayor Marty Walsh said the footage was difficult to watch and that he hoped to get answers through the investigation.

“We never want to see police officers using more force than necessary, even when tensions are high,“ he said.

A spokesperson for the Suffolk county district attorney, Rachael Rollins, said she was also investigating.