| Place: | United States Sporadic protests in other countries |
| Partof: | the George Floyd protests |
| Date: | May 26, 2020 – November 1, 2020 |
There have been many incidents of police violence during the George Floyd protests, an ongoing series of protests and demonstrations against police brutality and racism in policing. The protests began on May 26, 2020,[1] following the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white man employed as a Minneapolis police officer, who knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds during an arrest the previous day.[2]
Lawyer T. Greg Doucette and mathematician Jason Miller compiled a list of videos posted on Twitter showing evidence of alleged police brutality, which as of July 26, 2020 contained more than 830 videos.[3] [4] [5] Investigative journalism website Bellingcat documented over 140 police violence incidents against journalists during the protests.[6] The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker found there were almost as many press freedom violations in one week as for the entire year in 2019.
Police have standard procedures for ways to manage protests that may employ legally warranted forms of violence. In contrast, police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of violent force by law enforcement. Brutality is an extreme form of police misconduct or violence and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality can include but is not limited to physical or verbal harassment, physical or mental injury, property damage, inaction of police officers, "indiscriminate use of riot control agents at protests", racial abuse, torture, beatings, and death.[7] Human rights include right to equal protection under the law and the rights to liberty, security, and freedom from discrimination.[8] This article lists incidents of police violence during George Floyd protests that may or may not have been legally warranted.
| Date | Location | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2020 | Memphis, Tennessee | An officer was filmed using his police shield to shove a girl.[9] | |
| May 27, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police fired projectiles at protesters, damaging a woman's eye.[10] | |
| May 28, 2020 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Police fired tear gas at protesters who followed officers as they made arrests.[11] | |
| May 28, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | Peaceful protesters were gassed by police. Elisabeth Epps, a member of the Denver Police use-of-force committee, resigned her post after she was shot by police projectiles.[12] | |
| May 28, 2020 | Houston, Texas | A Houston Police Department officer riding a horse was filmed trampling a woman. Mayor Sylvester Turner apologized for the incident.[13] [14] The woman later filed a lawsuit against the Houston Police Department and the city of Houston.[15] | |
| May 28, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | An officer in the tail car of a caravan of squad cars was filmed indiscriminately spraying a chemical agent out the window onto bicyclists and people in a crosswalk.[16] | |
| May 28, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | A reporter from the Des Moines Register was pepper sprayed by police.[17] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Atlanta, Georgia | An officer was filmed using his bicycle to shove a woman who was protesting.[18] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Atlanta, Georgia | An officer was filmed body-slamming a woman near Lenox Square Mall. The woman later sued the city of Atlanta.[19] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | Police fired a non-lethal projectile at a man, striking and shattering his knee.[20] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | A woman was hit by a police horse. The city of Columbus later agreed to pay $5.75 million to injured protesters.[21] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | Police pepper-sprayed and shoved a reverend. | |
| May 29, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | Police fired a wooden bullet at a woman near a protest, striking her in the chin. | |
| May 29, 2020 | Dallas, Texas | A CBS news crew was caught in tear gas.[22] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | KMGH-TV news crew reported police targeting them with paintballs and tear gas. Their photographer was shot four times and their camera was destroyed.[23] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | Police fired a sponge-tipped projectile at a protester, hitting her eye.[24] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | Police shot tear gas at a couple in a vehicle waiting at a traffic stop in Denver. When the man came out of the vehicle to confront the officers because his pregnant wife was in the vehicle, the officers ordered him to move along. He refused and the officers opened fire on him and the vehicle with pepper balls.[25] [26] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 80 people were arrested as police clashed with protesters on the Vegas strip, including two journalists. Charges against the two journalists were later dropped.[27] [28] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Officers were filmed rushing and tackling a protester. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the man was an agitator.[29] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Louisville, Kentucky | A Louisville Metro Police Department officer was filmed firing pepper balls directly at a WAVE 3 News crew, hitting correspondent Kaitlin Rust and photojournalist James Dobson.[30] [31] The officer was reassigned on June 1.[32] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | CNN journalist Omar Jimenez and his three-person news crew were arrested by a group of Minnesota state police officers while reporting live on protests in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[33] According to Jimenez, he was arrested for failing to move back from the position where they were reporting after being ordered to, despite their media credentials being visible and valid, and their agreeing to move where directed.[34] [35] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Swedish Expressen correspondent Nina Svanberg was shot with a rubber bullet and VG photojournalist Thomas Nilsson had a red laser sight trained on him.[36] [37] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Journalist and author Linda Tirado was permanently blinded in one eye after police shot her with a non-lethal projectile.[38] | |
| May 29, 2020 | New York City, New York | New York City Police Department officer Vincent D'Andraia shoved a woman, Dounya Zayer, to the ground at a protest in Brooklyn.[39] The officer was recorded throwing down the protester with both hands while allegedly calling her a "stupid fucking bitch"; the protester was hospitalized after the assault and said she suffered a seizure.[40] On June 9, the officer was charged with assault, criminal mischief, harassment and menacing.[41] A $387 thousand settlement was reached in 2022.[42] | |
| May 29, 2020 | New York City, New York | As police cars drove past protesters, an officer opened his passenger door, causing it to hit a protester. The suspected perpetrator received modified duty.[43] | |
| May 29, 2020 | New York City, New York | Outside Barclays Center, police were filmed repeatedly striking protesters with clubs after they had fallen on the concrete.[44] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Omaha, Nebraska | A man was shot in the eye with a pepper ball. A different person was shot by pepper balls in the groin, although it is not known exactly what date this occurred.[45] [46] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Omaha, Nebraska | Police fired tear gas at a line of protesters sitting in the street.[47] | |
| May 29, 2020 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | An officer threw a pepper spray container at a man.[48] | |
| May 29, 2020 | San Jose, California | San Jose Police Department officer Jared Yuen drew national attention on social media due to videos of his behaviour. Yuen was videoed holding a projectile launcher, telling a protester "Shut up, bitch", then within seconds he leaned around another officer to fire a projectile at close range, which caused a fight. In other videos, Yuen is filmed saying: "Let's get this motherfucker", or seen "smirking, licking his lips and rocking back and forth, looking a little too excited to be facing off with protesters", reported San Jose Inside. The videos were viewed over 10 million times, and thousands called for Yuen's firing. SJPD chief Eddie Garcia reacted that Yuen "let his emotions get the best of him, and it's not right", but he also called Yuen a "kid" and "good cop", "who has put his life on the line for the city multiple times." As a result, Yuen was removed from protest duties.[49] [50] [51] | |
| May 29, 2020 | San Jose, California | A bias trainer was shot in the groin by riot guns.[52] | |
| May 29, 2020 | San Jose, California | A former San Jose Planning Commissioner was pushed to the ground and repeatedly shot with impact munitions by police.[53] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Albany, New York | Police used tear gas after a protest turned violent. Tear gas spread into a nearby home, causing a resident who inhaled some of it to suffer lingering health effects.[54] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Atlanta, Georgia | Officers from the Atlanta Police Department pulled two black students from their car, broke a car window, and used tasers to shock them. This came after officers arrested a classmate of theirs whom they wanted to pick up; an officer ordered the students to continue driving, which they complied with. One officer claimed that one of the students possessed a gun, but no gun was found. One of the students stated that he was punched over 10 times in the back after being arrested. Within days, six officers were charged as a result of the incident; two were fired and four were put on administrative leave. The Fulton County District Attorney, Paul Howard, stated that the two college students were "innocent almost to the point of being naive".[55] [56] [57] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Austin, Texas | 16-year-old Levi Ayala suffered brain damage after being shot in the head with a less-lethal round by Austin police officer Nicholas Gebhart.[58] [59] [60] Gebhart and several other officers were later indicted for shooting protesters with non-lethal projectiles.[61] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Austin, Texas | A deaf man was hit by less-lethal projectiles in the ear and crotch.[62] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Chicago, Illinois | Journalist Jonathan Ballew was broadcasting the protest when he was allegedly assaulted with a chemical agent.[63] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Chicago, Illinois | Police attacked actor John Cusack, who was filming the protest.[64] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Chicago, Illinois | An officer beat a woman in her vehicle and wrongfully arrested her. In 2022 the officer faced dismissal for the incident.[65] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Cincinnati, Ohio | An officer shoved a man from behind with a shield.[66] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Cincinnati, Ohio | A singular protester standing with his hands raised was tear gassed. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Police fired pepper balls at a group of 20 people without warning. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Police shot a man taking photos in the eye with a marking round, causing the man to suffer vision problems. The man filed an excessive force complained but it was ruled not sustained, as the Citizen Complaint Authority was not able to determine which officer fired the round.[67] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Cleveland, Ohio | A man lost sight in one eye after being hit with a beanbag round.[68] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Cleveland, Ohio | A sheriff's deputy fired beanbag round at a man passing out water, hitting him in the back of the head. The same deputy fired a beanbag that blinded a different man on the same date. The man hit with the beanbag round later filed a lawsuit.[69] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | Columbus Police were filmed pepper spraying Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Commissioner Kevin Boyce, and Council President Shannon Hardin during a demonstration near the Ohio Statehouse.[70] [71] | |
| May 30, 2020 | 22-year-old Sarah Grossman was pepper-sprayed at a demonstration and later died in the hospital from what was determined to be natural causes.[72] An autopsy determined that Sarah Grossman died of coronary artery dissection due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.[73] | ||
| May 30, 2020 | Dallas, Texas | Journalist Kevin Krause photographed a woman who said she had been walking home with groceries when she was struck in the forehead by a police projectile.[74] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Dallas, Texas | Brandon Saenz, a 26-year-old black man, was at a protest outside City Hall when he was shot in the face with a non-lethal projectile by police. The projectile shattered the victim's left eye.[75] [76] In 2022 two of the officers who fired projectiles were indicted on multiple counts.[77] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Dayton, Ohio | Police fired tear gas and beanbags at protesters. Protesters stated police fired at them without warning, while Dayton's police chief said projectiles were fired in response to water bottles and rocks being thrown.[78] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | Police shot a protester with a pepperball round, allegedly without provocation, as he filmed them.[79] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | A non-protester was blinded in one eye after being struck by a police projectile. The victim was walking to his car when he was reportedly shot in the eye, drive-by style, by police.[80] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Detroit, Michigan | As a crowd walked away from police, one individual was assaulted by police, physically and verbally. The protester was tackled by a second officer and sprayed by a third.[81] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Detroit, Michigan | Police pepper sprayed several reporters. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Erie, Pennsylvania | A seated 21-year old protester was filmed being kicked to the ground by an officer.[82] The officer was suspensed on June 15.[83] A final settlement was agreed upon in 2022.[84] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Fort Wayne, Indiana | A protester was shot in one eye and blinded by police.[85] [86] A settlement was reached in 2022.[87] | |
| May 30, 2020 | A three-year-old girl was reported to have been intentionally gassed by police. According to the mother, who was not a protester, the officer "dead-looked at my daughter and threw the canister in front of her and it exploded up into her face."[88] | ||
| May 30, 2020 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | One officer pepper sprayed a protester and seconds later another fired a tear gas canister into his upper body, hitting him in the shoulder.[89] [90] [91] [92] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | As people tried to help a fallen protester, they were pepper-sprayed.[93] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Kansas City, Missouri | Several officers pepper sprayed a man who was yelling at them from the side of the street. Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith defended the actions.[94] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Kansas City, Missouri | A man was blinded in one eye after being hit by a police projectile. He later sued the city of Kansas City.[95] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Kansas City, Missouri | An officer was photographed pepper spraying a man holding a sign above his head.[96] | |
| May 30, 2020 | La Mesa, California | A protestor was shot by police with a "less-lethal" bean bag round between her eyes.[97] | |
| May 30, 2020 | La Mesa, California | A woman walking near a protest in front of La Mesa's police station was shot in the face by a police projectile.[98] | |
| May 30, 2020 | La Mesa, California | A teenager driving his car near the La Mesa Police station was shot in the head by non-lethal projectiles.[99] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania | Police threw several protesters to the ground and pepper sprayed others.[100] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Las Vegas, Nevada | A videographer sued the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, alleging officers smacked his phone out of his hands and dragged him out of his car.[101] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Lawrenceville, Georgia | A Gwinnett County Police officer punched a protester lying on the ground.[102] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | Two protesters standing in a deserted street were shot by police rubber bullets.[103] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | An officer shoved a reporter from behind, causing her to trip and hit her head on a fire hydrant.[104] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | Police struck protesters with batons.[105] [106] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | A protester was struck in the face by a rubber bullet.[107] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | Police fired at a veteran who had his hands up at the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Grove Drive.[108] It was reported in 2022 that the protestor who was shot got a $1.25-million settlement.[109] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Louisville, Kentucky | A protester was shot in the back of the head by non-lethal projectiles. The man later filed a lawsuit against Louisville Police and State Police.[110] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Manassas, Virginia | Virginia Delegate Lee Carter was hit by flash-bangs three times, twice while walking away.[111] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | A group of 20 Minneapolis police were filmed marching down a residential street, ordering people on their front porches to go inside. After a few demands, one of the officers shouted "light 'em up!" and marker rounds were shot at them.[112] [113] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police forced a reporter to the ground and pepper-sprayed him.[114] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Veteran news photographer Tom Aviles was shot with a rubber-bullet and arrested.[115] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police targeted a CBS news crew and strike a member with non-lethal projectiles.[116] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | On May 30 and 31, Minnesota law enforcement slashed the tires of unoccupied vehicles parked near protests. Video of the incidents showed indiscriminate slashing of every vehicle in a Kmart parking lot. Several journalists were affected by the event. The Minnesota State Patrol and the Anoka County Sheriff's Department admitted on June 8 to slashing tires. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which oversees the State Patrol stated that tires were slashed in "a few locations", "in order to stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously". The Department further stated that some targeted vehicles contained potentially harmful items, to which Snopes commented that there appeared to be a logical "disconnect behind the idea of cutting tires when threatening objects were allegedly located inside" the vehicle.[117] [118] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police fired rubber bullets at a Swiss team of reporters.[119] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police fired rubber bullets at a Reuters news crew.[120] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police hit a journalist in the shin with a rubber bullet. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | An officer maced a photojournalist in the face.[121] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police in an unmarked vehicle encountered 27-year-old Jaleel Stallings and several others guarding a gas station from looting in defiance of the curfew warning. Police fired rubber bullets at the group without warning or announcing themselves as police. Stallings returned fire with actual bullets, but surrendered when police identified themselves. Police beat Stallings for roughly 30 seconds after he surrendered. Stallings was charged with multiple charges including attempted murder but was acquitted in July 2021.[122] [123] In late 2022, Justin Stetson, one of the officers who beat Stallings was charged with third-degree assault.[124] On May 8, 2023, prosecutors offered Stetson a plea deal allowing him to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and avoid jail time, which Stallings objected to.[125] Nonetheless, a judge accepted the plea agreement. Stenson pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and one count of misconduct as a public officer, with the condition he never work as a police officer in Minnesota again.[126] Stenson had already taken a disability retirement in August 2022 and the plea did not affect his state pension. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Officers from the Saint Paul Police Department used tear gas and less lethal projectiles to prevent a crowd of protesters from crossing the Lake Street-Marshall Bridge from Minneapolis to Saint Paul.[127] | |
| May 30, 2020 | New York City, New York | Two NYPD vehicles were recorded ramming into protesters[128] [129] In April 2022 an oversight agency recommended discipline be taken against the officers involved.[130] | |
| May 30, 2020 | New York City, New York | An officer approached a protester, ripped off the protester's mask, and pepper-sprayed the protester in the face.[131] | |
| May 30, 2020 | New York City, New York | A medical worker at the Kings County Hospital Center left work and came across officers chasing an individual, and began to record the incident. Officers began to beat the worker for about 90 seconds, causing bruises and a head wound that required seven staples to close.[132] | |
| May 30, 2020 | New York City, New York | An officer arrested and struck a Huffington Post reporter with a baton after the reporter insulted the officer. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Oakland, California | A reporter was hit in the thigh by a rubber bullet.[133] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A police officer was filmed repeatedly striking a journalist with club.[134] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A SEPTA Police officer struck two protesters with a baton. The officer was fired in July 2020 and indicted on assault charges in October of that year.[135] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Phoenix, Arizona | A photographer was hit in the head and back by police projectiles.[136] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Police fired gas and non-lethal projectiles at protesters.[137] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Reno, Nevada | Police shot a legal observer from the American Civil Liberties Union with rubber bullets.[138] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Richmond, Virginia | Police sprayed a man through the window of his home as he recorded them.[139] It was reported on July 17 that the same man had filed a lawsuit.[140] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Rochester, New York | Police fired pepper balls and tear gas canisters at a group of people following the damaging of several police cars.[141] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Rockford, Illinois | Police struck a protester with batons and threw him to the ground. The Rockford Police Department stated that a board of police officials determined all officers had acted appropriately.[142] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Salem, Oregon | Police used tear gas on protesters after curfew. Prior to the tear gas a police officer was filmed telling armed members of a right-wing group to leave the sidewalk and go inside so "it doesn't look like we are playing favorites."[143] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Salt Lake City, Utah | During a live news broadcast, police were filmed shoving an elderly man, causing him to fall to the pavement.[144] [145] The District Attorney decided not to press charges against the officer, saying the man himself did not support criminal charges.[146] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Salt Lake City, Utah | An officer was filmed firing a beanbag gun at a man lying on the ground with his hands in the air. A spokesman for the Salt Lake City Police Department said the officer was not one of theirs.[147] | |
| May 30, 2020 | San Antonio, Texas | A protester filmed as police shot him twice with less-lethal projectiles without physical provocation.[148] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Santa Monica, California | A news crew was hit with tear gas. | |
| May 30, 2020 | Seattle, Washington | A seven-year-old child was maced by police, with the aftermath documented by a viral video. Hours after the protest, Seattle police arrested the person who recorded the video.[149] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Seattle, Washington | An officer placed his knee on the back of the neck of a suspect; after onlookers shouted for him to remove his knee from the man's neck, his partner pulled it off.[150] [151] | |
| May 30, 2020 | Toledo, Ohio | Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.[152] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Austin, Texas | A pregnant woman was shot by police with projectile.[153] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Austin, Texas | 20-year-old African American Texas State University student Justin Howell was shot in the head with a less lethal bean bag round by an Austin Police Department officer while protesting outside the police headquarters in Austin, Texas. Fellow protesters were instructed by police to carry the injured Howell toward them for medical aid, however, those protesters were then also fired upon by police. Howell was left in critical condition, with a fractured skull and brain damage.[154] [155] The officer who shot Howell was later indicted for the shooting. | |
| May 31, 2020 | Austin, Texas | A woman was shot with lead pellets. Nine officers were later charged in connection with the incident.[156] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Austin, Texas | An officer shot a protester with a beanbag projectile as he walked away. The officer was later indicted for the shooting. | |
| May 31, 2020 | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Police were criticized for use of pepper spray during the protests. In one instance, a man with his hands up was pepper sprayed by several officers.[157] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Boston, Massachusetts | Multiple people claimed police struck them with batons despite having their hands raised. Four people filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Boston and three Boston Police officers.[158] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Charleston, South Carolina | A kneeling protester was arrested after telling police "I love each and every one of you. I cry at night, because I feel your pain."[159] [160] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Police threw two protesters to the ground and handcuffed them after they pulled on a banner.[161] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Sheriff's deputies threw tear gas from a courthouse balcony. According to Chattanooga Police, they had not been informed that the Sheriff's Office would be using tear gas. | |
| May 31, 2020 | Chicago, Illinois | Outside Brickyard Mall, police were filmed swarming a car, smashing its windows, and pulling an occupant to the ground. An investigation was opened.[162] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Police Board President Ghian Foreman claimed that officers struck him multiple times with batons.[163] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Police arrested a tattoo artist and pushed him against a window after curfew. The artist was painting a mural on a building with the owner's permission and was otherwise uninvolved in the protests.[164] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Columbia, South Carolina | A protester filed a federal lawsuit after he was hit by tear gas and rubber bullets, the latter of which hit his back.[165] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Compton, California | A deputy held a man's head down with a knee, while another repeatedly kicked him. Compton city officials called for the deputies involved to be dismissed.[166] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Denver, Colorado | When asked "what is going to happen at 8", an officer replied "What's gonna happen is we're gonna start beating the fuck out of you."[167] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Des Moines, Iowa | A reporter was shot in the thigh by a rubber bullet. | |
| May 31, 2020 | Detroit, Michigan | An officer fired rubber pellets at a group of photojournalists leaving a protest. The officer was charged but charges were later dropped.[168] | |
| May 31, 2020 | El Paso, Texas | A woman was hit in the back of the leg by a beanbag round.[169] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Eugene, Oregon | A reporter from Eugene Weekly was hit with tear gas and pellets.[170] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Eugene, Oregon | Police fired pepper balls at a man near his home after curfew.[171] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Fairmont, West Virginia | Police pepper sprayed several people during an arrest.[172] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | A police officer shoved a woman as she knelt. Video shows one of the officer's coworkers, a black woman, yelling at him after the incident. The officer who shoved the protester was identified and suspended pending investigation.[173] The officer was later charged with battery but was acquitted.[174] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | A woman was shot in the face with a rubber bullet. According to police the detective was aiming at a different person when the woman accidentally walked into the line of fire.[175] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Fredericksburg, Virginia | Police used tear gas about two minutes after an unlawful assembly was declared. An internal review concluded that police actions were justified, but a later independent review determined that police were too quick to deploy tear gas. A group of protesters filed a lawsuit against the city of Fredericksburg.[176] | |
| May 31, 2020 | During a protest near the Southlake Mall, police fired multiple pellets at a man walking to his car, before arresting and siccing a dog on him. Police also used tear gas on protesters.[177] | ||
| May 31, 2020 | Police used pepper balls on protesters kneeling and lying on a street.[178] | ||
| May 31, 2020 | Indianapolis, Indiana | The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was filmed arresting two women, with a male officer holding one of them. The officer's arm was positioned near her chest. She twisted free and took a few steps, officers fired pepper balls at her feet and struck her with batons. An officer then pressed her to the ground with his hand and a baton resting on her neck. When questioned by another woman, an officer shoved that woman back before she was subdued by police.[179] Multiple officers involved in this incident were reassigned on June 5.[180] The two women filed a lawsuit on June 29.[181] [182] Two of the officers were indicted in August.[183] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Peaceful protesters, including a church group, were tear gassed after police attempted to arrest a man vandalizing a statue. Indianapolis's police chief apologized to the group.[184] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Jacksonville, Florida | An officer was filmed punching a protester near a courthouse.[185] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Lafayette, Indiana | Police used tear gas on protesters outside the Tippecanoe County Courthouse. According to the Journal & Courier the use of tear gas came without warning, although the sheriff said he gave the order after an explosive was set off near the courthouse.[186] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Lakeland, Florida | Police used tear gas and pepper spray on protesters. One man was pepper sprayed seconds after he finished a live interview with a local news station.[187] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Lansing, Michigan | Police threw tear gas canisters at a crowd of protesters, including City Councilman Brandon Betz.[188] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Lincoln, Nebraska | Multiple people were stuck by non-lethal projectiles. Three people who were hit by projectiles filed lawsuits against the city of Lincoln.[189] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Long Beach, California | A journalist was shot in the throat by a police rubber bullet.[190] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Long Beach, California | Police fired a projectile at a woman filming, causing her to lose part of her finger. She later filed a lawsuit against the Long Beach Police Department.[191] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | A US Marine Corp veteran was seriously injured after being shot in head by police with a rubber bullet.[192] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | A police vehicle struck a protester after a crowd surrounded it.[193] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Louisville, Kentucky | An arrested protester claims police pulled him from a vehicle and hit him with batons.[194] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Madison, Wisconsin | Police tear gassed and pepper sprayed two reporters from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.[195] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Police grabbed a protester and shoved him to the ground before one put the protester in a chokehold. A report of the incident claims that no force was used.[196] | ||
| May 31, 2020 | Police threw a social media producer for WSVN against a truck and arrested him. Charges against the producer were later dropped.[197] | ||
| May 31, 2020 | Police cruisers were filmed spraying a chemical on crowds of protesters as they drove by.[198] | ||
| May 31, 2020 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Police fired a projectile at a man near a highway on-ramp, striking him and causing him to lose vision in one eye. The man later received a $2.4 million settlement.[199] [200] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Montreal, Canada | Police used tear gas on protesters. According to CTV News Montreal is the only major Canadian city to have deployed tear gas on demonstrators.[201] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | Police used tear gas on a group of protesters standing in an intersection, including some children. The mayor of Murfreesboro defended tear gas use, saying it was necessary to remove protesters blocking the intersection.[202] | |
| May 31, 2020 | New York City, New York | A hospital worker returning home from work was beaten by police.[203] | |
| May 31, 2020 | New York City, New York | An officer struck a man with a baton, breaking bones in his face.[204] | |
| May 31, 2020 | New York City, New York | Police repeatedly struck two women with batons. | |
| May 31, 2020 | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | A woman was shot in the arm by a rubber bullet. She later filed a lawsuit against the city of Oklahoma City.[205] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Phoenix, Arizona | A police trainee fired a beanbag round at a man in the Garfield Historic District, breaking part of the man's forearm. The man later sued the city of Phoenix and its police chief.[206] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Richmond, Virginia | Two officers pepper sprayed three women in a car at an intersection. The two officers were indicted, but charges against them were later dismissed.[207] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Sacramento, California | A teen was shot in the face with a rubber bullet.[208] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Sacramento, California | A legal observer was hit above the eye with a pepper ball.[209] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Salem, Oregon | An officer fired rubber bullets at a woman, causing vision loss and a chest injury. The woman was later awarded $1 million following a lawsuit.[210] | |
| May 31, 2020 | San Bernardino, California | Police fired "many rounds" of tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds after reports of fires and violence.[211] | |
| May 31, 2020 | San Diego, California | Police hit a man with a baton and shot him with bean bags. The city of San Diego said the people seen firing projectiles in the man's videos were sheriff's deputies, though the San Diego County Sheriff's Department stated they did not send officers to the protest. A lawsuit was settled in 2023.[212] [213] | |
| May 31, 2020 | San Francisco, California | Video appears to show a sheriff's deputy shove a protester from behind on a sidewalk.[214] [215] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Santa Monica, California | A man was hit in the back with a rubber bullet. Police also zip tied and arrested protesters, including actor Cole Sprouse.[216] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Santa Rosa, California | An officer fired a plastic sting-ball grenade at a protester from less than 15 feet away. The protester suffered a broken jaw and four of his front teeth were knocked out. The officer was later suspended for 20 hours.[217] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Santa Rosa, California | An officer fired a rubber bullet at a man who suffered a ruptured testicle and required emergency surgery. According to findings by the Santa Rosa Police Department the rubber bullet used was not authorized for crowd control. The officer was later suspended for 20 hours.[218] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Santa Rosa, California | An officer fired a rubber bullet at a man, striking him in the forehead. In September 2021 the city of Santa Rosa agreed to pay the man $105,000 following a lawsuit.[219] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Spokane, Washington | Police fired tear gas at a group of kneeling protesters. Police were responding to reports of looting at a nearby Nike store.[220] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Spokane, Washington | Police beat a man lying on the ground with his arms raised with a baton. It is not clear what happened before the beating. | |
| May 31, 2020 | Tampa, Florida | Police fired a rubber bullet at a man helping others to safety, striking him in the back of the head. In 2021 the man filed a lawsuit against the city of Tampa, claiming he suffered from memory loss and migraines since the incident.[221] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Police fired pepper balls at a KTUL reporter, damaging his camera.[222] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Washington, D.C. | President Trump went to the historic St. John's Episcopal Church, whose basement had been damaged by fire, and posed for pictures in front of it holding up a Bible. To clear the route so that Trump could walk there, police and national guardsmen used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades to clear a crowd of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square, resulting in significant news coverage and denunciation by the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.[223] [224] [225] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Washington, D.C. | Federal police fired pepper balls at protesters in Lafayette Square. One man was hit in the eye.[226] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Waterbury, Connecticut | Police tackled protesters while arresting them. The Waterbury Police Department stated the 28 people arrested were from an "antagonistic" group separate from peaceful protesters.[227] | |
| May 31, 2020 | West Palm Beach, Florida | Police fired smoke canisters and rubber bullets at protesters. According to The Palm Beach Post police began firing rubber bullets and smoke canisters right after police announced a curfew.[228] | |
| May 31, 2020 | Wilmington, North Carolina | Police fired tear gas at protesters a street length away.[229] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Asbury Park, New Jersey | Police shoved a woman to the ground and arrested a reporter. The reporter was later released and his charges dropped.[230] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Asheville, North Carolina | Police targeted street medics in the crowd during protests at Pack Place, using rubber bullets and tear gas. At least one street medic and several protesters were injured by pepper balls and rubber bullets.[231] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Athens, Georgia | Police tear gassed a group of protesters after curfew.[232] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Bentonville, Arkansas | Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.[233] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Buffalo, New York | Police tackled a man from behind as he was being interviewed by a news station.[234] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Chicago, Illinois | An officer was filmed punching a man after shoving him to the ground.[235] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Cincinnati, Ohio | A reporter from The Cincinnati Enquirer was forced to the ground and handcuffed. The reporter was released shortly after.[236] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Police were filmed firing less-lethal rounds at a man and punching him. Colorado Springs Police chief Vince Niski announced an investigation would be conducted.[237] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | Journalists were pepper sprayed by police.[238] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Conway, Arkansas | Police used tear gas on protesters.[239] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Des Moines, Iowa | A journalist was sprayed by police. Police announced they would conduct an "internal review".[240] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Des Moines, Iowa | Police gassed and arrested a reporter for Iowa's KCCI.[241] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Des Moines, Iowa | Police pushed, pepper sprayed, and beat protesters. A regional director from the American Civil Liberties Union accused police of kettling protesters and using excessive force against a child, journalists, and a legal observer.[242] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Joliet, Illinois | Mayor Bob O'Dekirk personally scuffled with a protester, aided by police.[243] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Police fired tear gas at a group of people lying on the ground. Police claim the group had been looting and destroying property, while protesters disputed this.[244] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Little Rock, Arkansas | State Police fired a bean bag projectile at a man leaving a protest outside the Arkansas State Capitol. In June 2022 the man filed a lawsuit against the State Police.[245] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | Video shows deputies shooting pepper balls at a group of fleeing skateboarders in Hollywood.[246] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | Police handcuffed and arrested store owners and bystanders who were protecting a looted store.[247] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Louisville, Kentucky | An officer fired pepper balls at a person standing on private property. The Department of Justice later indicted the officer for excessive force.[248] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Louisville, Kentucky | Local chef David McAtee was fatally shot by the Kentucky National Guard.[249] [250] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Oakland, California | Police used tear gas on protesters. About a year later in 2021 police chief LaRonne Armstrong apologized for the use of tear gas and announced that more than 33 disciplinary actions had been issued to officers who deployed it.[251] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Protesters were filmed kneeling with hands up as police pulled their mask and goggles off and sprayed them.[252] [253] A Philadelphia Police officer was later charged with simple assault and reckless endangerment.[254] A mistrial was declared on May 8, 2023, and it was ruled the following August the officer's trial would be held outside of the state.[255] [256] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | A Temple University student was released from custody on June 3, after his arrest on June 1, on charges of assaulting an officer. Video showed an officer striking him in the head with a baton and another placing his knee on the back of his neck/head to pin the student's face to the street.[257] The officer who used a baton, Police Staff Inspector Joseph Bologna, was suspended and charged with aggravated assault.[258] Other incidents caught on video involving Bologna regarding the 2020 protests saw him tackling a female protester who had touched his bicycle, lunging at a journalist, and hitting a security guard.[259] Bologna was later fired, and multiple lawsuits were filed against him.[260] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Protesters on the I-676 were hit with tear gas from both sides of the highway. In 2023 the city of Philadelphia announced a $9.25 million settlement for protesters affected by tear gas, rubber bullets, and zip ties.[261] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | An officer fired at a protester 20 feet from a police line.[262] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | A man was shot in the leg with a foam munition at close range.[263] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Police fired projectiles at a bar owner and staff members.[264] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Richmond, Virginia | Police fired tear gas at demonstrators kneeling at the Robert E. Lee Monument 20 minutes before curfew.[265] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Riverside, California | News broadcast footage purported to show police smashing a car window. The sheriff's department claimed windows were not broken.[266] | |
| June 1, 2020 | San Luis Obispo, California | Police used tear gas on protesters. A report noted that protesters had only one way to disperse from the standoff, to turn around and go back. One protester stated they were hit in the foot and leg by a canister.[267] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Seattle, Washington | As she broadcast live on-air, NBC reporter Jo Ling Kent was struck by a flash-bang grenade from police.[268] [269] | |
| June 1, 2020 | St. Matthews, Kentucky | Police pushed and held down a pastor during a march. The pastor was released after officers learned he was a pastor. He later filed a lawsuit against the city and its police department.[270] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Syracuse, New York | An officer shoved a news photographer from Syracuse.com to the ground.[271] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Topeka, Kansas | Police used tear gas on protesters. Some members of the media were also caught in the tear gas.[272] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Walnut Creek, California | Police fired tear gas and sicced police dogs on protesters. One woman was struck in the head by a rubber bullet.[273] [274] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Washington, D.C. | An Australian Seven News crew conducting a live broadcast, were battered by police using a riot shield and clubs, while the cameraman was punched in the face. The incident prompted comment from the Australian Prime Minister and Opposition Leader. The reporter later testified in front of US Congress.[275] [276] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Washington, D.C. | Despite clearly showing press credentials, complying with police instructions, and the curfew not yet being in effect: an MPD officer; unprovoked, charged a BBC cameraman with a riot shield, knocking him backwards.[277] [278] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Worcester, Massachusetts | An officer tackled a protester walking home.[279] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Worcester, Massachusetts | Video appears to show a riot officer repeatedly stepping on a woman's phone as she was arrested. The woman can be heard on video claiming police are punching her boyfriend.[280] | |
| June 1, 2020 | Worcester, Massachusetts | Police tackled and arrested a freelance journalist. The journalist was charged with disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and failure to disperse, but the charges were later dropped.[281] [282] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Asheville, North Carolina | Police were filmed destroying medical supplies.[283] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Brockton, Massachusetts | Police pepper sprayed a reporter from The Boston Globe while moving a crowd of protesters back.[284] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Protesters claimed police deliberately kettled and tear-gassed them. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the city and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.[285] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Clayton, California | Police used tear gas and smoke grenades on protesters.[286] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Police tackled two women and slammed one to the ground. One of the women was later awarded a $175,000 settlement for an excessive force lawsuit.[287] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | A woman was pepper sprayed multiple times by police. The woman later filed a lawsuit against Colorado Springs and five police officers. | |
| June 2, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | A pedestrian was arrested at gunpoint.[288] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Los Angeles, California | A wheelchair-bound man was shot in the face with a rubber projectile.[289] [290] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | During a six-hour peaceful march from Bay View to the District 1 police station, police officers declared an unlawful assembly after empty water bottles were thrown by individual members of the crowd towards the police, and issued a ten-minute dispersal warning before firing tear gas and rubber bullets on the crowd of protesters.[291] Earlier that same day, a group of protesters led by local organizer Frank Nitty II marched onto the I-794 bypass ramp, and were confronted by law enforcement officers, primarily from the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department. The group was ordered to halt and dispersed with deployments of tear gas and rubber bullets; Nitty was singled out from the group, had a firearm pointed in his face, was physically assaulted and dogpiled by officers "leaving him bleeding from his right elbow, hand, and wrist, and left arm". Officers tightly bound his wrists, cutting off circulation to his hands, and he was arrested and held in jail. No charges were brought against Nitty other than a County citation for walking onto the freeway; he pled guilty, paid the citation, and was released, before suing the officers involved in the incident.[292] A water bottle thrown at police near the District 1 station that afternoon was later pictured and described as a "molotov cocktail" on the Milwaukee Police Department's Twitter profile; this drew widespread rebukes and was ultimately quietly corrected by MPD leadership.[293] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Video showed an officer restraining a protester with his knee. The Milwaukee Common Council called for an investigation into the incident.[294] | |
| June 2, 2020 | New York City, New York | During a protest in Park Slope an NYPD inspector was filmed stepping on a man's neck. In 2023 the Civilian Complaint Review Board determined the inspector used excessive force and recommended he be terminated.[295] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | Police fired at least 138 chemical munitions in an 18 block area, far exceeding federally-recognized safe levels of CS gas concentration. This included three types of tear gas.[296] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Providence, Rhode Island | An officer fired a non-lethal projectile at a non-protester in a vehicle. The man claims he lost an eye because of the incident. The officer involved was placed on administrative leave.[297] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Richmond, Virginia | A group of officers were filmed as one of them appeared to repeatedly spit at a woman in handcuffs.[298] | |
| June 2, 2020 | San Jose, California | A protester filed a lawsuit against the San Jose Police Department claiming an officer tripped him before other officers fired non-lethal projectiles at him.[299] | |
| June 2, 2020 | San Juan, Puerto Rico | Police used pepper spray on protesters after curfew.[300] | |
| June 2, 2020 | Vallejo, California | 22-year-old Argentine-American Sean Monterrosa was killed at 12:30 AM while kneeling with his hands raised above his waist when he was shot and killed with five bullets by a police officer. Police stated they mistook a hammer in Monterrosa's pocket for a gun. Police were responding to reported looting.[301] | |
| June 3, 2020 | Huntsville, Alabama | Tear gas and rubber bullets were used on peaceful protesters.[302] | |
| June 3, 2020 | Iowa City, Iowa | Police used tear gas and flash bangs on protesters. The city council later passed a resolution indicating not to use tear gas and less lethal projectiles on peaceful protesters.[303] | |
| June 3, 2020 | New Orleans, Louisiana | A woman was struck in the head by a tear gas grenade. The woman later sued the city of New Orleans and its police department.[304] | |
| June 3, 2020 | St. Johnsbury, Vermont | A woman fell down the steps in front of the St. Johnsbury Police Department after an officer pushed her out of the way.[305] | |
| June 3, 2020 | Tampa, Florida | An officer on a bicycle knocked down and detained a journalist from the Tampa Bay Times. The journalist was released after 10 to 15 minutes. Tampa mayor Jane Castor later issued an apology to the journalist.[306] | |
| June 3, 2020 | Valdosta, Georgia | A brief scuffle occurred after the Lowndes County sheriff attempted to take a sign from a protester.[307] | |
| June 4, 2020 | Buffalo, New York | Martin Gugino, a 75-year-old man with a cane, was left bleeding from the head after approaching police officers and being shoved to the ground by the police. A video of the encounter shows an officer leaning down to examine him, but another officer then pulls the first officer away. Several other officers are seen walking by the man, motionless on the ground, without checking on him.[308] In February 2021, a grand jury declined to indict the officers, and in April 2022 they were cleared of wrongdoing.[309] [310] | |
| June 4, 2020 | New York City, New York | During a protest in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, police kettled protesters and beat them with batons. A class-action lawsuit was settled in 2023.[311] | |
| June 4, 2020 | San Diego, California | After a protest, a woman was forcibly dragged into an unmarked car by unidentified men in civilian clothing. Unwilling to reveal where the woman would be taken, one of the assailants threatened bystanders: "You follow us, you will get shot! Do you understand me? | " The San Diego Police Department later confirmed the individuals were law enforcement officers and claimed the woman had hit police with a protest sign.[312] |
| June 4, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | A freelance reporter was hit with a baton and pepper sprayed.[313] | |
| June 5, 2020 | Lakewood, California | Police used pepper balls on protesters. Police claim that an object was thrown at them, but protesters disputed this.[314] | |
| June 6, 2020 | Sydney, Australia | Police pepper sprayed a crowd of protesters at Central Station. Police also grabbed and restrained a man.[315] | |
| June 8, 2020 | Seattle, Washington | At the East Precinct, a 26-year-old protester was shot in the chest with a blast ball as she stood 25 feet from the police line. Her heart stopped and street medics raced her unconscious body away on a makeshift stretcher as flash grenades exploded around them. Following chest compressions she was revived then taken to Virginia Mason Hospital. Though she went into cardiac arrest again at the hospital, doctors were able to keep her alive.[316] [317] | |
| June 9, 2020 | Police tackled and arrested a journalist from USA Today.[318] | ||
| June 12, 2020 | The day after Austin Police Department Chief Brian Manley announced that the department would no longer perform chokeholds or neck restraints, an officer detaining 19-year-old Jarrid Cornell knelt on his neck while he was already pinned to the ground by two other officers.[319] | ||
| June 12, 2020 | Police used tear gas and sponge-tipped bullets on protesters after an unlawful assembly was declared.[320] | ||
| June 12, 2020 | East Meadow, New York | As a protester walked surrounded by multiple officers, one of the officers stopped abruptly, causing the protester to bump into them. The swarm of officers then pulled the protester to the ground and placed him under arrest.[321] | |
| June 13, 2020 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Police arrested multiple legal observers. One legal observer claimed police threw her to the ground.[322] | |
| June 13, 2020 | Richmond, Virginia | A police vehicle hit several protesters near the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue.[323] | |
| June 15, 2020 | Louisville, Kentucky | Police shot at a courthouse security guard as he filmed protests from inside the building.[324] | |
| June 16, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | An officer hit a theft suspect with an unmarked police van during a protest. The officer was later indicted.[325] | |
| June 18, 2020 | Compton, California | Sheriff's deputies used flash bangs on protesters while clearing them from the rally.[326] | |
| June 18, 2020 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Police dragged a teenager to the ground and zip-tied her after she was falsely accused of assaulting an officer. A police motorcycle ran over the teenager's foot prior to the incident. In 2022 a settlement was reached between the girl and the city of Raleigh in a lawsuit.[327] | |
| June 21, 2020 | Columbus, Ohio | A double-amputee was sprayed by police.[328] | |
| June 25, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | A woman sued the Portland Police Bureau for firing a rubber ball distraction device at her. | |
| June 26, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | An officer was filmed knocking several people to the ground after emerging from behind a police line. | |
| June 27, 2020 | Tempe, Arizona | Police pepper sprayed protesters and tackled three demonstrators.[329] | |
| June 28, 2020 | Aurora, Colorado | Police used pepper spray to disperse a violin vigil for Elijah McClain.[330] | |
| June 28, 2020 | Detroit, Michigan | A police SUV drove through a crowd of protesters. Multiple people were injured.[331] | |
| June 28, 2020 | Nashville, Tennessee | A State Trooper was seen shoving a protester climbing an eight-foot wall.[332] | |
| July 1, 2020 | Des Moines, Iowa | Police arrested several people, including Indira Sheumaker. In June 2022 two officers sued Sheumaker—who had since been elected to city council—and other protesters, accusing them of assaulting officers and putting one in a chokehold. Sheumaker later countersued, accusing officers of putting her in a chokehold and shoving her.[333] | |
| July 1, 2020 | Miami, Florida | An officer grabbed a woman's breast as she was arrested.[334] | |
| July 5, 2020 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | As a photographer tracking a protest march passed the Old German Beer Hall restaurant, an off-duty police officer and his wife objected to being photographed, threw beer into the crowd, and fought the group of protesters, resulting in property damage, concussions, and charges of battery and misconduct.[335] | |
| July 5, 2020 | West Haven, Connecticut | After a woman drove through a crowd of protesters, police attempted to disperse the crowd, and one man was tackled from behind, tasered, and maced. According to hospital records the man has a fracture in his spine following the incident.[336] | |
| July 11, 2020 | Lexington, Kentucky | Police put a man in a chokehold and threw him to the ground. The man filed a lawsuit but a judge dismissed it in 2022.[337] | |
| July 12, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | Federal officers shot a protester in the head with an impact munition.[338] | |
| July 15, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | In two separate incidents federal law enforcement agents grabbed protesters and forced them into unmarked vans. Both of the protesters were later released. | |
| July 18, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | Federal officers were filmed beating Navy veteran Chris David with batons and spraying him with pepper spray. David says he walked over to the officers to talk to them.[339] | |
| July 18, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | Police threw a man to the ground. When the man attempted to get up, officers knocked him to the ground again. The man filed a lawsuit that was later settled by the city.[340] | |
| July 21, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | The chair of Lewis & Clark College's history department was hit in the head with an impact munition and tear gassed.[341] | |
| July 27, 2020 | Overland Park, Kansas | Police pulled a man to the ground and arrested several people.[342] | |
| July 25, 2020 | Anaheim, California | A police cruiser hit a protester and drove away. The Anaheim Police Department claimed the cruiser hit the man by accident and that the officer drove away because of approaching protesters.[343] | |
| July 25, 2020 | Hoover, Alabama | During a protest police arrested a chaplain. Video showed an officer putting his forearm on the back of the chaplain's neck while arresting him.[344] | |
| July 28, 2020 | New York City, New York | Police were filmed taking a protester into an unmarked police van. The protester was later released.[345] | |
| July 29, 2020 | Springfield, Oregon | Police dragged a man on the ground and hit him in the head as he was being restrained.[346] | |
| August 8, 2020 | Stamford, Connecticut | An officer was filmed grabbing a protester from behind. Other officers were filmed throwing a photographer to the ground and shoving a woman on her knees.[347] | |
| August 10, 2020 | Nashville, Tennessee | A state trooper forcibly ripped a protester's face mask off. The trooper was later charged with and pleaded no contest to assault.[348] | |
| August 12, 2020 | Tampa, Florida | A Black Lives Matter activist was hospitalized after police kneeled on her shoulder.[349] | |
| August 14, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | An officer with a nightstick knocked a woman down. The woman later filed a lawsuit.[350] | |
| August 18, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | An officer hit a protester in the head with a baton. The officer was later indicted for fourth-degree assault.[351] | |
| August 26, 2020 | Madison, Wisconsin | A Dane County Sheriff's Deputy fired tear gas at protesters as they left a protest. According to the Dane County Sheriff, Madison Police did not authorize the use of tear gas.[352] | |
| August 31, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | A police officer broke ahead of a police line and tackled a protester who was running away, before repeatedly punching them.[353] | |
| September 5, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | Police used tear gas at a protest. When a homeowner told police gas had seeped into his house, where his son and son's friend were, another officer struck the homeowner in the back of the head with a baton.[354] | |
| September 23, 2020 | Laramie, Wyoming | A police sergeant hit a protester with her vehicle.[355] | |
| September 23, 2020 | Portland, Oregon | An officer shoved a protester to the ground from behind. In 2022 the district attorney announced charges would not be filed against the officer.[356] | |
| September 24, 2020 | Seattle, Washington | A police officer was filmed pushing his bicycle over the head of a protester lying on the street.[357] | |
| October 24, 2020 | Ithaca, New York | Police pepper sprayed and arrested several protesters outside the police station.[358] | |
| October 29, 2020 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Video footage showed a slow-moving SUV being surrounded by police. Officers with batons surrounded the vehicle, broke its windows, pulled its driver and a passenger, Rickia Young and her teenage nephew, from the car, threw them onto the ground, and then pulled Young's 2-year-old son from the backseat. Young had to be taken to the hospital for injuries sustained in the arrest and was later released without charges. The Fraternal Order of Police posted a photo of a policewoman holding Young's son to Twitter and Facebook, claiming that the child had been found wandering the streets and that they were protecting him. The posts were later deleted.[359] The city settled out of court for $2 million in September 2021.[360] One of the officers was later fired and charged with assault, but was acquitted by a jury in 2023.[361] [362] [363] | |