GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The man who was pepper-sprayed and hit with a canister at nearly point-blank range during the weekend unrest in Grand Rapids is accusing police of using excessive force.
Sean Hart said he filed a complaint with the Grand Rapids Police Department after video of the incident surfaced online. Millions of people have viewed it. A former police officer and deescalation instructortold News 8that the firing of the canister went too far.
Hart said he was driving around downtown Grand Rapids with his fiancée Saturday night when the riot broke out. He admitted to provoking the officers by playing a song that’s known to be offensive to police, but said that doesn’t justify what happened next.
Read more at WOOD TV