Shocking footage appears to show Virginia police officers SPITTING on detained protester during George Floyd demonstration in Richmond
- Police in Virginia have come under fire after a video of two officers appearing to spit on a detained protester emerged on social media on Tuesday evening
- The video, which first appeared on Twitter, was captured during a demonstration on Monument Avenue, in downtown Richmond
- In the footage, a detained female protester is seen sitting in front of a group of 10 police officers with her hands bound behind her back
- One police officer appears to lean over and spit on the woman three times as angered protesters watch on in disgust
- Another officer stood to his right also appears to spit at the detained protester
- The Richmond Police Department have denied the claims saying 'frame-by-frame analysis' showed the officer had spat on the grass because of tear gas
- Footage from the same demonstration near the Robert E. Lee Monument showed police surrounding peaceful protesters and firing gas canisters towards them
- The crowd of activist had been kneeling on the ground, chanting ‘Don’t Shoot! Hands up!’ a famous Black Lives Matter rallying cry, at the time
Police in Virginia have come under fire after a video of two officers appearing to spit on a detained protester emerged on social media on Tuesday evening.
The video, which first appeared on Twitter, was captured during a demonstration on Monument Avenue, in downtown Richmond, during the fourth night of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week.
In the footage, a detained female protester is seen sitting in front of a group of 10 police officers with her hands bound behind her back.
One police officer appears to lean over and spit on the woman, as angered protesters watch on in disgust.
‘Yup, got that,’ one woman shouts, in referencing to capturing the moment on her cell phone. ‘We got that on Camera, a**-hole,’ screams another.
In the footage, a detained female protester is seen sitting in front of a group of 10 police officers with her hands bound behind her back
One police officer appears to lean over and spit on the woman, as angered protesters watch on in disgust
Unfazed by the jeers, the officer appears to repeat the action again, spitting down at the detained protester.
‘Hey, we see you,’ a woman says loudly, as the officer spits for a third time. Another officer stood to his right also appears to spit at the protester.
‘Got that one too,’ the woman recording the video shouts.
The Richmond Police Department were made aware of the footage on Tuesday and launched an investigation.
In a tweet, the department later denied the officers had spit on the protester, insisting the video is ‘not what it appears.’
The department said a ‘frame-by-frame analysis of a viral video that appears to show RPD officers spitting on a detained prisoner shows it did not happen as activists have claimed.’
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Unfazed by the jeers, the officer appears to repeat the action again, spitting down at the detained protester (left). Another officer stood to his right also appears to spit at the protester (seen right)
Instead, Richmond police concluded, after watching the footage in slow motion, that in the video the officers are actually coughing and spitting ‘on the grass and not on the detainee’.
‘The frequent coughing and spitting was due to exposure to tear gas,’ the department claimed.
Despite the denial, social media users have raged online about the officers’ conduct, particularly amidst a global pandemic.
‘Watch this officer in Richmond, VA spits on a protestor during a global #pandemic multiple times,’ one tweeter fumed. ‘People are getting arrested just for threatening to spread the #coronavirus, but I guess it doesn’t apply to cops.’
‘Just saw a video of a cop in Richmond, Virginia, spitting large wad of saliva on a detained protester kneeling at his feet,’ added the New Yorker’s Ben Taub. ‘The DOJ recently defined COVID-19 as a "biological agent," and advised that acts like these can be prosecuted as terrorism.’
Footage from the same demonstration near the Robert E. Lee Monument showed police surrounding peaceful protesters and firing gas canisters towards them on Monday.
The crowd of activist had been kneeling on the ground, chanting ‘Don’t Shoot! Hands up!’ a famous Black Lives Matter rallying cry, when the tear gas was administered.
Richmond’s mayor and its police chief apologized after videos of the incident surfaced, which occurred before the city’s 8pm curfew came into effect.
‘To the peaceful protesters who were gassed tonight, please come. I want to apologize in person,’ Mayor Levar Stoney tweeted.
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