A Ft. Worth police officer is under investigation after a helmet camera caught him recklessly pepper-spraying a group of motorcyclists on a Texas interstate. The motorcyclists were part of a group of around 200 motorcyclists on a ride together in the Ft. Worth area. The officer pulled over one of their “safety vehicles”—a vehicle that accompanies the motorcyclists in case of emergency or a breakdown. As he steps out of his police cruiser, he was caught on camera reaching for his pepper spray and then unleashing on the motorcyclists as they passed. Needless to say, pepper-spraying people driving motorcycles at highway speeds is a recipe for injury or death. Watch the video shared by one of the motorcyclists:
Ft. Worth police had received complaints about the motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic and popping wheelies, but motorcyclists Jack Kinney and Chase Stone spoke with WFAA to say this officer's actions were over the line:
"If you're worried about safety, why would you pepper spray a large group of bikers like that?" Kinney said.
They say nothing justifies spraying blinding material into traffic. They say people could've died.
"When you put other people’s life in danger, it's just uncalled for," Stone said.
For now, the officer is not on patrol:
Late Monday afternoon, Fort Worth police announced the officer in the video has been taken off patrol and put on administrative duties until the culmination of the investigation. The officer is a six-year veteran with the force.