BLACK LIVES MATTER

Cleveland Cops Pepper Spray Protesters

At Movement for Black Lives conference.

Clashes broke out between police and protesters who gathered near the Movement for Black Lives conference at Cleveland State University on Sunday. Footage purporting to show officers using pepper spray on demonstrators was posted on Twitter, sparking public backlash. Police later confirmed a transit police officer used "a general burst of pepper spray in an attempt to push back the crowd," according to an official statement. Police said they "peacefully removed" a 14-year-old male who was allegedly "intoxicated to the point where he was unable to care for himself." The teen, who witnesses had earlier reported seeing officers slam to the ground, was escorted to an EMS unit and released into the custody of his mother, police said. The officer deployed pepper spray after a crowd prevented a police vehicle from leaving the area and attempted to remove the juvenile from the car, according to the police statement. Authorities added the incident is under investigation.