U.S.: Seattle police-punching case update: The police back the officer
- The officer did nothing wrong. We always will review incidents like this, that’s how police officers learn. I am confident that the review will show that the officer was totally justified. He was defending himself.
- Seattle Police Officer’s Guild president Sgt. Rich O’Neill • Giving some insight into the situation with officer Ian Walsh, who threw a punch after being accosted by two jaywalkers, one of whom was resisting arrest. The incident is under review. If you’ve read online today, you’ll know that the punch is controversial, with some supporting the officer and others supporting the girls arrested. O’Neill makes it clear who he thinks is at fault. “If you watch the entire video, he is trying to de-escalate the situation, first by voice commands, then by taking her by the wrists, and then she reacts by pulling away and swinging,” he notes. He suggests that Walsh could’ve tried other techniques to defuse the situation. Our problem was that he had to throw a punch at all. source