ORLANDO, Fla. – After eight pro-Palestine activists were arrested in downtown Orlando following a scuffle on Saturday, the police department has released body-came footage showing some of what happened.
In a release, police said a pro-Palestine rally kicked off at Lake Eola around 4 p.m., with 20 people from “Central Florida Queers for Palestine” peacefully walking around the area while being monitored by officers. The rally ended over an hour later.
But around 5:30 p.m., officers said they responded to a “disturbance” near the Publix store on East Central Boulevard, discovering demonstrators arguing with someone who had opposing views.
“When officers attempted to separate the two parties, a member of the pro-Palestine demonstration group lunged toward an OPD officer and the opposing citizen in a physically threatening manner,” the release reads. “Consequently, the OPD officer arrested the demonstrator for disorderly conduct. Other demonstrators attempted to interfere with the arrest, leading to several altercations.”
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In the end, eight demonstrators were taken into custody and face charges including disorderly conduct, battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest with violence, and resisting arrest without violence, police announced.
On Sunday, police released body-camera footage of the incident, which shows the perspective of the arresting officer. According to police, the officer was trying to keep the two parties near the Publix separated to avoid a physical conflict from breaking out.
The video shows the officer riding on his bike as people around him yell at others. As a woman passes by, someone — potentially the officer — says, “Back up,” and a man nearby appears to be pushed to the ground.
As a result, an altercation breaks out, with people piling on top of one another.
In the video, officers can be seen struggling against others at the scene, and at one point, an officer shoves a woman away from him, with someone else shouting, “Don’t (expletive) push her!”
Another woman jumps in front of the officer with a phone, and the officer tackles her to the ground, the video demonstrates.
Toward the end of the video, police say that a use-of-force investigation is underway.
No additional information has been provided, including what prompted the investigation or the identities of those arrested.
The body-camera footage can be watched at the top of this story.
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