SEATTLE—On Sunday, August 16, a riot was declared in Seattle during an anti-police union protest in which three officers were injured and 18 people were arrested.
About 100 protesters gathered in the International District at 7:00 p.m. and started moving towards the Seattle Police Officer Guild with vehicles following behind them. In a video uploaded to Instagram by one of the protesters it can be seen that when the police arrived at the scene, the crowd started chanting “move back” at them.
According to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), after 10:00 p.m. someone in the crowd set off a large explosive and attempted to break a police car window. Officers were using their bicycles to stop the crowd while holding batons.
The police commander issued a dispersal order during the protest and according to a report from the SPD, some people started throwing rocks and bottles at them. The report also mentioned that when the police started moving towards the crowd, they were struck by explosives. In the video uploaded by the protester it can be seen that fireworks were thrown at the police. The person recording said that officers were throwing CS gas at protesters.
After calling for additional resources, the commander declared a riot. According to the SPD, they used pepper spray and blast balls to “stop the assault on officers.” Later the crowd dispersed.
The report from the police said that at least three officers were injured and one of them was hospitalized. The SPD arrested 18 individuals who were booked to King County Jail. A video uploaded by KIRO 7 News shows that officers pulled people out of a van and detained them as well.
There is an active investigation in regards to the event.
