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Kansas City police officer pepper sprays Plaza protester in the face in viral photo
A photo from Saturday’s protest in Kansas City went viral this weekend, showing a police officer spraying pepper spray into a man’s face as he stood holding a sign above his head.
The man, who has not been identified, was holding a sign that read: “Stop Police Brutality.”
The photo was taken Saturday afternoon near J.C. Nichols and Ward parkways, according to Frank Kuhl, the freelance photographer who captured the image. Kuhl, 51, said he normally takes photos for music and entertainment events but was at this weekend’s protests, one of many across the country sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
The photo shows the man holding the sign with both arms extended above his head. Facing him are three police officers in helmets and gas masks. One of the officers sprays him directly in the face with pepper spray from a few feet away.
The man had just moments before emerged from the crowd into the street when the officers walked over and sprayed him, Kuhl said. The officers then carried the man away.
“I was surprised it happened so quickly,” he said. “It was one of those photo moments where you kind of can’t believe you just saw this happen.”
“I’m not anti-police,” Kuhl said. “I think that was totally uncalled for. It was ridiculous.”
Posted on Facebook over the weekend, the photo had been shared more than 2,600 times.
Sgt. Jacob Becchina, a Kansas City Police Department spokesman, said in an email Monday night that the protester was presumably arrested for “municipal/city protest-related charges.”
“The crowd’s response is dictating our use of munitions to stop their actions,” Becchina said. “Also he’s in the street which is an ordinance violation as well.”
During the same weekend of protests, a viral video showed a protester yell at officers, saying police “overreact in the moment,” accusing them of “prematurely shooting people” and “prematurely using excessive force.”
Seconds later, the video shows several officers approach the man and another demonstrator, dousing them with pepper spray. The man was pulled into the street and taken into custody.
The video, viewed nearly half a million times, was posted on Twitter on Saturday evening.
Kansas City police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina said the man was arrested for “municipal/city protest-related charges.”
In four days of protests, more than 150 people were arrested in Kansas City, police said.
Protests Monday, as on Saturday and Sunday, ended with police deploying tear gas.
Across the country, advocates have accused police of using excessive force against demonstrators. Police forces have deployed tear gas, pepper spray, drove vehicles through crowds and fired rubber bullets at protests across the country, Slate reported.
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