Seattle Police Who Fired Pepper Spray, Blast Balls on BLM Protesters Violated Order, Judge Says

A federal judge held the Seattle Police Department and the city in contempt of court Monday for violating an order to stop the “indiscriminate” use of pepper spray and pepper-filled “blast balls” during Black Lives Matter protests.

U.S. District Judge Richard Jones reviewed four protests in August and September and found four “clear violations” of a previous order barring police from using force against peaceful protesters. His 27-page order was filed in response to a motion by Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County.

One violation involved pepper spray and the others involved blast balls, a grenade-like device that explodes and spews pepper gas which Jones called the most “indiscriminate” of the four less lethal weapons he analyzed.

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