Denver police Chief Paul Pazen launched an internal investigation into officers after a viral video showed them firing a barrage of pepper balls at a man standing beside his car and shouting that his pregnant girlfriend was inside.
The video was recorded on May 29 during the second night of George Floyd protests.
Warning: This video contains graphic language
In the video clip, a man stands outside a dark sedan that has stopped in the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Broadway. He screams at about a half-dozen police officers, wearing helmets and gas masks, standing nearby on Broadway. The man is angered because a projectile had hit his car.
As the man screams, police tell him to drive away but he refuses and continues to yell at officers
“(Expletive) I ain’t going no where,” he shouts. “Shoot it again.”
Police fired multiple shots, hitting the car and sending clouds of powder rising off the hood and windshield. Audio from a police scanner is heard in the background and sirens are blaring nearby.
The man spins and screams: “There is a pregnant woman in the car!” He gets in the car and drives off.
Pazen is listed as a complainant in the case. The couple has not filed a complaint, according to a Denver police tweet. Police said they’ve identified the people in the video and are attempting to contact them.