Sacramento Police Release Some Body Camera Video From Police Brutality Protests
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The Sacramento Police Department released a YouTube video Friday morning, explaining their use of less-than-lethal weapons during recent protests against racial injustice.
Sgt. Sabrina Briggs narrated the seven-minute YouTube video that, at times, shows crowd members harassing police officers during the demonstrations that followed the death of George Floyd.
"At one point they were throwing bricks, they were throwing bottles, they were throwing large objects and striking our officers," Sgt. Briggs said in the video.
Several instances of violence towards police were captured on body camera footage, including a crowd member wielding a crowbar and a knife.
"The individual with the large butcher knife is actually approaching the officers in a violent manner. One of our officers utilized pepper ball rounds to try to get the individual to back up," Briggs said.
She went on to explain that without the option of less than lethal weapons like pepper ball rounds or sponge bullets, officers would only have their handguns, which would make for a much more dangerous confrontation.
READ: Lawmakers Calling For Reform After Rubber Bullet Fired During Protest Injures Sacramento Woman's Eye
"Without the beanbag shotgun rounds, the only other option that an officer has in the situation would be to use deadly force. It's very important that we have those less than lethal options," Briggs said.
Some say the video, which is intended to explain that use of force, does not tell the whole story.
Stevante Clark has led a number of the police brutality protests in the past weeks. His brother, Stephon Clark, was killed by Sacramento Police in 2018.
"They didn't show the other parts of the protest where they were shooting people with rubber bullets in the eyes and shooting people with those beanbags in the ribs," Clark said.
Clark says, for the most part, the protest was peaceful, but there were a few agitators.
"Whoever that was with the crowbar and the knife, he needs to be held accountable," he said.
But, Clark says the police need to hold themselves accountable as well.
"This video that lasted no longer than 10 minutes, lacked a transparency and that's why they need to be held accountable. Sac PD needs to be held accountable," Clark said.
The release of this video comes just days before the Sacramento City Council is set to take up the proposals to reform police procedures.
