Video shows San Francisco police firing pepper-spray rounds, but SFPD brass says no ‘weapon’ or chemical ‘agent’ was deployed
San Francisco police officers used force 20 times during the anti-ICE protests on June 8 and 9, and arrested 247 people, Paul Yep said Wednesday evening at his first Police Commission meeting as acting chief.
One officer was hospitalized during the June 8 protest around 8 p.m. in the Central District, Yep added.
“This is in relation to the First Amendment activity that was occurring,” Yep said, referring to hundreds-strong protests on both nights against immigration arrests in San Francisco and raids in Los Angeles. “Protesters were throwing objects at officers that were in a squad, and at least one officer was hit.”
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The officer is in stable condition. Mission Local observed eggs and at least one glass bottle thrown at officers during the June 8 protest outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office downtown.
Yep said he had no information on whether police discharged weapons on either night. He also said he was not aware of any deployment of “O.C. spray” (pepper spray) or another agent.
It appears that Yep’s statement is accurate. But it depends on what you consider a “weapon,” and it’s not clear that less-lethal munitions are considered that by the department. It also depends on what you consider an “agent.”
Less-lethal munitions were definitely fired upon demonstrators: Mission Local witnessed and captured video of an officer firing what seemed to be a “pepperball” at an individual late on Monday night.
While San Francisco police are forbidden to indiscriminately deploy pepper spray into a crowd, they are permitted to fire pepperballs at targeted individuals within a crowd. Pepperballs are, essentially, pepper spray in powdered form. It affects people in much the same way, but the effect is far more localized and would not affect large swaths of the crowd.
The officer fired a yellow gun in the direction of a demonstrator. The projectile did not hit him, and the man ran off. The projectile also narrowly missed a nearby Wall Street Journal reporter.
The rounds expelled a small cloud when they hit the ground, and made onlookers cough. Police sources say these characteristics are typical of a pepperball, which emits a puff of powder upon impact.
Sgt. Brent Bradford also discharged a 40mm black gun that fires sponge rounds. A police source identified both launchers.
“Leave the area, or force will be used,” one officer shouted. “Media, get back,” another yelled. “You stay here and you are going to get — ” a third began to say.
SFPD sources said it is possible that both the SWAT team’s equipment and its policies may have changed even since Yep’s retirement from the department in 2023.
In response to a question about how use of force is tracked, Yep told the commissioners that officers self-report use of force “as they’re required.” “In other instances,” he said, “the persons that are generally adversely affected” raise the issue.
On June 8, the San Francisco Police Department said 154 people were cited and released, including six juveniles between 14 and 17 years old.
On June 9, Yep said, officers arrested 92 people. Eighty-nine were cited and released. One person was booked for outstanding warrants, and another for threats.
That night, Mission Local observed two people being loaded into ambulances.
Yep declined to say whether any civilians were injured when asked by the commission. He said he would provide more information next week.
“In general, given the huge amount of attention to these protests in Los Angeles and nationwide, I think as long as there’s substantial activity, it should be included in the report as well,” Commissioner Kevin Benedicto said.
In his own remarks on the subject of state-wide immigration protests, Yep read directly from a statement released to the press three days ago. He kept his answers to the commissioners’ questions brief.
Reported assaults citywide increased by 72 percent from last week, from 29 to 50 incidences. Police commission president Cindy Elias asked if this was related to protest activity. Yep said he did not know the cause of the spike.
On both protest days, SFPD drones were deployed, though Yep did not know how long they were used or when.
Benedicto also asked Yep if he had a response to a letter sent to the police department by the First Amendment Coalition and Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California, about the protests.
“I was made aware of that just before today’s meeting,” Yep said. “It’s under investigation.”
On the night of June 9, Mission Local reported that two student journalists from the University of California, Berkeley’s Daily Californian were detained for 30 minutes by police, despite displaying press credentials.
“Do you have a plan of action for the next protest?” Elias asked.
“We will always do our best to facilitate the First Amendment using the resources we have,” Yep said, adding that he would work with organizers.
SFPD, he added, does not cooperate with federal immigration agents.
Additional reporting by Joe Rivano Barros and Joe Eskenazi.
ABIGAIL VÂN NEELY
Abigail covers criminal justice, accountability, and behavioral health. She’s originally from New York City, where she was a youth advocate and watched hundreds of arraignments. Now, she enjoys foggy San Francisco mornings with her cat, Sally Carrera. (Yes, the shelter did in fact name the cat after the Porsche from the animated movie Cars.)More by Abigail Vân Neely
