According to photographs taken at the scene, Black Lives Matter protesters got into an altercation in Pittsburgh with police. One of the officers struck one of the protesters.
Around 20 activists protested the death of Jim Rogers. He was tasered in October by eight police officers. A number of officers from Wilkinsburg Police Department, along with others, quickly arrived on the scene to declare the protest an illegal assembly and order the group to stop blocking streets.
Officers attempted to arrest one protester after the group refused to obey police orders. An activist intervened between the officer and the protester. This led to a violent struggle in which the officer punched one of the protesters, who fell to the ground.
As the first officer was holding the activist down, another officer with a dog helped push protesters away.
The scene began to worsen in less than five minutes, starting at the moment that police left their vehicles. Both the protester and the activist trying to intervene were arrested by police. However, that individual was released later on Saturday.
The city announced that five of the eight officers who used Tasers against Rogers were fired by Pittsburg. Rogers’ death was declared accidental, but the three other officers will continue to serve their duties.
The Wilkinsburg Police Department did no immediate respond to a request for comment.