Police Pull Motorists Out of Black Lives Matter Van During Protest in Washington

Anti-racism protesters and law enforcement clashed in Washington late on August 29, as demonstrations against police brutality and the police shooting of Jacob Blake took place in the city, reports said.

Journalist Wyatt Reed captured footage showing police officers pulling two people out of a van emblazoned with “Black Lives Matter” and other slogans as more police in riot gear descend on protesters. The sound of breaking glass can be heard as the camera pans to the other side of the street.

Later in the video, police can be seen firing water and “rubber bullets,” Reed reported, towards the crowd. One of the bullets hit Reed as he was filming, he said. Gas canisters were also released nearby.

“The occupants of the van were arrested after police cleared demonstrators from the area with ‘tear gas’ and ‘rubber bullets’ which left ’many seriously injured,” Reed wrote on Twitter. He told Storyful that he wasn’t able to confirm if the "rubber projectiles “had steel cores.”

Government officials speaking anonymously to the Washington Post said police confronted protesters because projectiles were thrown at them.

“Our officers have an obligation to act and keep our city safe,” one of the officials said. Credit: Wyatt Reed via Storyful