Police use tasers and pepper sprays on Utah march protesters

A march for police reform in a wealthy Utah neighbourhood erupted into violent clashes between officers and demonstrators.

Officers using tasers and pepper spray arrested nine people and impounded five vehicles following the clashes in Cottonwood Heights.

Cottonwood Heights police chief Robby Russo described the protesters as ‘rioters’ and said three of his officers were injured and several sprayed with water guns containing an unknown liquid he described as ‘hazardous.’

Around 150 people took part in The ‘March for Justice which occurred on Sunday afternoon. 

Chaos broke out at march for police reform in Cottonwood Heights, a wealthy Utah neighbourhood, on Sunday August 2

It was timed to coincide with the birthday of 19-year-old Zane James who was killed by police in the neighbourhood in 2018. 

A nearly 40-minute video shot and broadcast live on Facebook by Tali Bruce, a Cottonwood Heights city councilwoman, shows dozens of people marching and chanting down a residential street. 

A few minutes later, the march was stopped by police asking people to move from the street to the sidewalk.

This was followed by several minutes of discussion and the march continued on the sidewalk before moving back to the street. 

At this point, officers and protesters are shown confronting and yelling at one another.  

Around 150 people took part in The 'March for Justice took place at 4pm Sunday afternoon. The march was stopped by police asking people to move from the street to the sidewalk

Around 150 people took part in The ‘March for Justice took place at 4pm Sunday afternoon. The march was stopped by police asking people to move from the street to the sidewalk

After the march moved back onto the road, officers and protesters are shown confronting and yelling at one another as the protest turned violent

After the march moved back onto the road, officers and protesters are shown confronting and yelling at one another as the protest turned violent

A young woman is handcuffed by Cottonwood Heights police officer on the lawn in front of a home

A young woman is handcuffed by Cottonwood Heights police officer on the lawn in front of a home

A shirtless man with a bloodied face is detained by police officers as the protest turned violent

Nine protesters were arrested at the march

A shirtless man with a bloodied face is detained by police after officers and protesters clashed 

One officer in the video is visible as he lifts a young woman into the air and slams her onto the lawn in front of a home. The woman says, ‘I can’t see,’ three times as officers are detaining her.

Later, a couple of officers are visible as they are tackling a shirtless man to the ground and detaining him. 

Nearby, an officer is shown spraying a man in the face. The man fell to the ground, with his face in both hands, and writhed in pain.

Protesters are tackled to the ground by Cottonwood Heights police officers

 Protesters are tackled to the ground by Cottonwood Heights police officers 

A protester in a white t-shirt is led away by police officers after the march erupted into violent clashes

A protester in a white t-shirt is led away by police officers after the march erupted into violent clashes

Officers using tasers and pepper spray arrested nine people and impounded five vehicles following the clashes in Cottonwood Heights

Officers using tasers and pepper spray arrested nine people and impounded five vehicles following the clashes in Cottonwood Heights 

In a subsequent Facebook video, Tali Bruce alleges that an officer punched her ‘hard’ and also shoved her to the ground forcefully. 

‘I saw countless people spray gassed, beaten, bloodied — including Zane [James’] father,’ Bruce said in the video as she begins to cry while driving in a vehicle. 

‘I can’t even believe this is Cottonwood Heights.’     

Sunday’s protest was one of the latest of many calling for police reform after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota on May 25.

The Cottonwood Heights march was organized by a group made up of business owners, police reform activists, and friends and family of teenager Zane James.

A protester winces in pain as his eyes are washed with water after he appears to have been pepper sprayed in the face

A protester winces in pain as his eyes are washed with water after he appears to have been pepper sprayed in the face 

Zane James was 19 years old when he was fatally shot twice by an off-duty Cottonwood Heights police officer who was on his way to work on May 29, 2018.    

The officer spotted the teen fleeing on a dirt bike after allegedly robbing two stores with an ‘airsoft’ or toy gun loaded with BBs in the Sandy area. 

James declined any life-saving methods and died on May 31, two days after the shooting.

A civil rights complaint has been filed by his parents, Aaron and Tiffany James, in view of a policy change and aiming for better training procedures and transparency within the Cottonwood Heights Police Department.

The march had been timed to coincide with the birthday of 19-year-old Zane James who was killed by police in the neighbourhood in 2018

The march had been timed to coincide with the birthday of 19-year-old Zane James who was killed by police in the neighbourhood in 2018 

According to the civil rights complaint, Zane James was an accomplished high-level competitive hockey player and academic. 

He suffered from two serious concussions which resulted in the end of his hockey career. 

James became severely and clinically depressed and was addicted to opiates as he struggled to cope with the physical and emotional symptoms of his condition. 

He was actively seeking treatment for his depression at the time of the shooting.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk