Allegations of excessive force used by Seattle Police officers just got a little more serious this weekend. Seattle U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan tells the Seattle Times that she’ll be investigating several incidents of possible police brutality as part of a larger investigation into the department’s use of force.The news comes after two videos surfaced last week of an undercover Seattle cop kicking a 17-year-old suspect three times during an arrest, and later, seemingly punching a man on the street who was videotaping the scene. The unnamed officer (who we’ve dubbed “Officer Hoodie McBackpack” after his comfy attire) was put on paid administrative leave a month after the incident, even though Mayor Mike McGinn says the department had known about the video for weeks.Here’s the video.A day after the kicking video surfaced, another tape was released showing the same officer seemingly deck a person on the street who was recording the scene with a cell phone video camera–as seen below:Durkan’s attention stems not only from McBackpack’s antics but from the police shooting of Native American woodcarver John T. Williams in August. John “Trouble” WilliamsFor those that somehow missed that case, Seattle Police Officer Ian Birk fatally shot Williams four-times in the side after he supposedly wouldn’t drop his three-inch carving knife he used to make small totem poles. Later, it was learned that the folding knife Birk was so concerned about was found still closed on the ground after the shooting. Meanwhile, on Saturday, protesters gathered at Victor Steinbreck Park holding signs and calling for both officers to be fired and even arrested. Depending on what Durkan finds, they may just get their wish.
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