Video shows lit, smoking object hitting Phoenix police officer at Trump protest
Jason Pohl
Video recorded on a downtown Phoenix street Tuesday night shows a lit object that begins smoking after striking a police officer as the scene outside President Donald Trump's rally descended into chaos.
The video was recorded by a reporter for The Arizona Republic at 8:36 p.m. from an area near the intersection of Second and Monroe streets in downtown Phoenix. That's the spot where thousands gathered to protest the president and his supporters.
Seconds prior to the object hitting the officer, yellow smoke rises from something on the side of the street where the protesters are standing. While the scene already is tense, it escalates seconds after the projectile hits the officer, who is standing in line with other law-enforcement members.
Protesters fanned to the east and west. Police said they deployed smoke, pepper balls, flash bangs, pepper gas and gas during the course of the incident.
At a news conference later Tuesday, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said she was told that protesters had thrown gas at officers near the Herberger Theater Center, which prompted the police response.
She said she believed officers responded appropriately, given the charged and emotional nature of the event.
Reporter Jason Pohl covers public safety. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.
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