Seattle officer who ran over man's head with bicycle facing criminal probe
SEATTLE - The independent agency tasked with investigating police misconduct has requested a criminal investigation into a Seattle officer caught on video running over a man's head with his bicycle.
It happened Wednesday night amid violent protests over a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor.
The Office of Police Accountability (OPA) has received more than 30 complaints about the officer's actions, according to a news release announcing the criminal probe.
According to the OPA, the Seattle Police Department's Force Investigation Team reviewed the video, which was circulating on Twitter, and identified potential SPD policy violations as well as potential criminal conduct. Investigators then reported their findings to OPA.
Police reported some property damage as demonstrators marched in Seattle's Capitol Hill and First Hill neighborhoods, then later reported protesters throwing explosives at officers. Several officers were injured, police said, including one who was struck in the head with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet.
The accountability office has requested that an outside law enforcememt agency conduct the criminal investigation, and the Seattle Police Department agreed. The King County Sheriff's Office will take over the case.
SPD says the officer has been placed on administrative leave.
Seattle wasn't the only city hit with violence overnight. Demonstrations in Taylor's hometown of Louisville turned violent as gunfire rang out and wounded two police officers, prompting a citywide curfew for the next two nights.
Demonstrators chanted Taylor’s name and marched in cities across America, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Portland.
Protesters in Portland hurled Molotov cocktails at officers and also threw rocks that shattered windows at a law enforcement precinct station. The Oregonian/Oregonian Live said they set an awning at the station on fire.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.