The NYPD released a pair of police videos from the George Floyd protests in Brooklyn where a cop pulled down a protester’s mask — as he stood with his hands in the air — and pepper-sprayed him in the face.
The two videos, each nearly 15-minutes long, show the officers making their way through the crowds on just after 8 p.m. on May 30 as demonstrators chant expletive-laden refrains and hurl insults at the cops.
The brief encounter — which was described by the NYPD as “troubling” — can be seen at the 7:30-mark in the footage from the first recording from the now-suspended officer’s bodyworn camera.
“Stay back. Stay back. Stay back. Go. Go. Go,” the unnamed cop can be heard saying as he continues to walk through the rally with his pepper-spray raised.
It was unclear if he used the capsicum oleoresin spray on any other demonstrators — although it appears he used it again minutes later and inadvertently sprays himself.
At the end of the cop’s recording, he can be heard saying “I can’t see, I need the water” while another cop helps flush the officer’s eyes.
The release comes hours after Mayor Bill de Blasio expanded the city’s policy on the release of recordings in high-profile incidents.
