Anaheim police release video of BLM protester bumped by police car

Anaheim police were investigating an incident caught on video of a police car that seemingly bumped a protester during a Black Lives Matter protest on Saturday, July 25.

Protesters had gathered at La Palma Park before marching south on Harbor Boulevard toward Broadway, where the incident between the police car and the protester happened at around 4:30 p.m., Sgt. Shane Carringer said.

Anaheim police released helicopter footage and their break down of the incident in response to a social-media video that suggested the incident was intentional.

Police have been in contact with the protester, Carringer said. The man declined to talk about the event to a reporter.

“There are some people trying to spin this as an intentional act – this was not intentional,” Carringer said in an interview. “Any assertion that this was intentional is just false.”

The officer driving the car was clearing the intersection of vehicles to make way for the large crowd of protesters approaching, Carringer said in the video briefing.

There was a sedan stopped at a red light, so the officer used his car’s speaker to tell the driver to go through the intersection anyway for the safety of the driver and the oncoming protesters.

“As both vehicles entered the intersection, the white sedan blocked the officer’s view of a protester who was walking alone, southbound in the middle of the intersection,” Carringer said. “With the intersection now cleared of vehicle traffic, the officer began to turn behind the white vehicle to return to his position … while still monitoring the approaching crowd.”

In the police video, helicopter footage doesn’t show what led up to the impact but does show the police cruiser quickly stopping and bumping into the man. Afterward, the protester can be seen approaching the driver’s window and apparently saying something to the officer.

“Thankfully, the officer was able to see the pedestrian in the middle of the intersection and he reacted quickly to what he observed,” Carringer said.

The protester posted a video of the oncoming police car coming toward him onto his Instagram account. The car comes toward the camera, when the impact causes the camera to jumble for a few seconds.

Other protesters run toward the police car, which drives away. Police would say the officer wanted to de-escalate the situation.

Police asked that witnesses contact them at 714-765-1900.