A federal judge has found the Seattle Police Department in contempt for violating an order to stop the “indiscriminate” use of chemical irritants or projectiles against protesters except in cases where officers faced imminent danger.
The Monday ruling by Judge Richard Jones of the Western District of Washington in Seattle said the department had failed to prove that its use of pepper spray, pepper balls, blast balls and paint balls during four Black Lives Matter protests was warranted.
However, after reviewing a trove of evidence, including videos and police reports, Jones said officers were justified in responding with those weapons in another four instances.
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