SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle’s interim police chief has demoted the assistant chief who was in charge when riot-gear clad officers fired tear gas blast balls into a crowd of demonstrators on Capitol Hill in June after an officer’s tug of war with a protester over an umbrella. The Seattle Times reports that interim Chief Adrian Diaz’s decision means the assistant chief who was the incident commander will be returned to a captain’s rank. Diaz’s decision was laid out in a letter Wednesday to City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and posted on the department’s website. The assistant chief was not named. The June 1 clash happened during widespread racial justice protests following the police killing of George Floyd.
Seattle police chief demotes commander over protest clash
