SEATTLE — Over a dozen people were arrested Wednesday night following protests demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot and killed by police in her own home in Louisville, Kentucky.
Two separate protests were held in Seattle Wednesday night, one at Westlake Center and the other at Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill.
At least 13 people were arrested for various charges including property destruction, resisting arrest, failure to disperse, and assault on an officer, according to a Seattle Police Department (SPD) blotter post.
The SPD said multiple officers were injured during the Capitol Hill protest. One officer who was injured was struck in the back of the head with a baseball bat, cracking his helmet.
Police asked anyone who can help identify the person who struck the officer with the baseball bat to call the department’s tip line at 206-233-5000.
The protest in Capitol Hill began around 7 p.m. at Cal Anderson Park. Police said the group marched “around Capitol Hill and First Hill causing occasional property damage along the way.”
Around 10:45 p.m., police said a protester “threw an explosive” at the SPD’s East Precinct. The object went through a roll-up gate and exploded near bike officers. Around the same time, police said people cut wires powering the precinct’s security cameras.
The SPD said bottles and rocks were thrown at bike officers when they attempted to arrest the person who threw the explosive at the East Precinct. Police used pepper spray and blast balls to try and create space between the officers and the crowd, according to the blotter post.
Video posted on social media Wednesday night appears to show an SPD officer's bike rolling over the head of a protester lying in the street. The department said it is aware of the video, and the “matter will be referred to the Office of Police Accountability for further investigation.”
SPD declared the protest an unlawful assembly around 12:30 a.m. after multiple fires were set, objects thrown at officers and property damage in the area.
Another protest and march took place at Westlake Center at 7 p.m. People took turns speaking about Breonna Taylor to the crowd through a microphone. At one point, the crowd chanted "Breonna Taylor" over and over.
The large group marched from Westlake Center down 4th Avenue to the Federal Courthouse, where they placed a memorial for Taylor.
There were no reports of any arrests or violence during the vigil at Westlake Center.
Protesters across the country are demanding justice after a Kentucky grand jury on Wednesday brought no charges against Louisville police for the killing of Taylor during a drug raid gone wrong on March 13.
Prosecutors in Kentucky said the two officers who fired their weapons were justified in using force to protect themselves when they were shot at by Taylor's boyfriend, who thought the officers were home intruders.
Instead, the only charges brought by the grand jury were three counts of wanton endangerment against fired Officer Brett Hankison for shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ homes.
The other two officers involved, Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Det. Myles Cosgrove, were not indicted and remain on administrative reassignment.
