Video appears to show Bossier City police officer pepper spraying, beating man with baton

BOSSIER CITY, La. – Video appears to show a Bossier City police officer pepper spraying and beating a man with his baton.

Witnesses said what’s captured on the video is the result of a prior incident at a Circle K gas station on Airline Drive at Airline Drive at Viking Drive in Bossier City.

“I got an inbox and they were like, ‘Well, he threatened someone. The homeless guy is not in the best mental state, so that goes with knowing how to approach someone that has mental health issues.”

Witnesses said the man was at the Circle K making threats and inappropriate gestures at people.

Before they could call police, the man walked away from the gas station.

Here’s what witnesses say happens next.

“I seen him approach a man that was walking. It was a homeless guy that kind of walks through the city. I’ve been seeing him walk around through the city for the last six or seven years. When he approached him, he had asked him a question, I don’t know what he asked him, but the guy nodded his head like yes. And then he said something to the police officer, and the police officer nodded his head. And I was, um, maybe he just wants him to get out of the road.”

In the video, you can see the officer approach the man. Moments later, you can see the officer using what looks like pepper spray.

“And then all of a sudden, I see the policeman reach in his back and he grabbed the pepper spray and he sprayed him. And I thought I was trippin’ because they just were talking. So what made him pull out his pepper spray? And then he sprayed him again.”

The video also appears to show the officer hit the man with what looks like a baton.

The woman said she began to record because she was in disbelief.

She said when she shared the video, people tried to make it about race.

“Trying to make it about a black and white thing. It wasn’t a black and white thing. I didn’t take it as a black and white thing. I took it as a person that did not know how to handle the person that was in front of him. He addressed him, he showed signs of respect still, he did not run.”

Bossier City police say they cannot comment on this matter because it is under investigation.

Via KSLA