Police Targeted With 'Improvised Explosives' During Tense Seattle Protests

Seattle police said they were targeted with “improvised explosives” during at-times tense protests in the city on June 6.

The Seattle Police Department posted on Twitter that several officers were injured due to explosives, and said people also threw rocks and bottles at 11th and Pine after moving barricades despite requests to stop.

Eyewitnesses also reported explosions at the intersection. In these videos, captured by Jake Goldstein-Street, several small explosions near crowds of protesters can be seen and heard. The source of the explosions is not clear. Demonstrators can also be seen facing off with cordons of police across barricades, as well as chanting “George Floyd” as they march through the streets.

The Seattle protests were the latest in a series of large-scale demonstrations that took place in cities across the US following the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Authorities in Seattle banned the use of tear gas during the protest. Local reports said police used an OC, or pepper spray, canister in at least one June 6 confrontation. Credit: Jake Goldstein-Street via Storyful