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'Don't Shoot Me, Please': Police Use Non-Lethal Rounds During LA Protest

Protesters scattered as officers used non-lethal rounds late on Friday, September 25, during demonstrations in Los Angeles, California, over the police killing of Breonna Taylor.

This footage, taken by Twitter user @desertborder shows officers firing the non-lethal rounds as crowds disperse, including one wheelchair-bound protester.

Following the incident, an officer approaches @desertborder asking them to move away. “OK, OK, don’t shoot me, please,” they can be heard saying

Footage taken from the opposite side of the street during the incident, shows one officer in riot gear repeatedly slamming their plastic shield up and down while they and other officers worked to subdue a man on the ground.

Video from another angle showed officers inspecting a flat-bed truck with a number of people in the back. As the people started to flee the truck, officers tackled or knocked some to the ground. One officer is seen striking a downed protester with a shield.

Friday night saw the third night of protests across the US in response to a grand jury’s decision not to charge officers under investigation for the shooting death of Breonna Taylor.

Former Louisville Metro Police Department officer Brett Hankison was; however, charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree – his bond was set at $15,000. Hankison was fired from the police force on June 23 for his role in the shooting of Taylor.

Sargent Jonathan Mattingly and Detective Myles Cosgrove, two other officers who fired their weapons while trying to serve a search warrant on Taylor’s apartment in the early hours of March 13, were not charged.

Protests were being held in other cities including New York City and Boston. Credit: desertborder via Storyful