A video of a white man who charged at and aggressively confronted an officer before being allowed to walk away is making the rounds online and causing some to wonder if white privilege was at work during the encounter.
According to NBC San Diego, the encounter happened on Dec. 7.
The video, initially posted on the Connect San Diego Instagram page, shows a police officer pointing a Taser at a white man and commanding him to step back.
When the white man shouts, “Do it!” and starts approaching the officer, the officer backs away before firing off his Taser. It hits the man, who cries out but remains standing.
That’s when the man charges at the officer, yelling incoherently, and chases the officer away.
The officer pulls out his baton in response, and the man continues to yell, “Do it!” at the officer, appearing to egg him on to use force against him. The officer backs away, appearing afraid the man might become violent, then whips the man with his baton twice before reholstering it.
The man just continues approaching the officer, who continues backing away and telling the man to “step back.”
Finally, the man calmly walks away from the encounter, enters his truck, then speeds off. The officer tries to tell the man to “get back” in an attempt to compel him not to leave the scene, but the man doesn’t comply with his orders. After the man drives off, the officer gets into his police vehicle and follows after him.
NBC San Diego reported that several people called police to report that the man, identified as 47-year-old William Williams. Those 911 callers said Williams was being combative and disruptive. He also reportedly threatened someone with a screwdriver.
When the first officer arrived, Williams “aggressively confronted” him, a police spokesperson said.
“Additional officers were urgently requested,” San Diego police spokesman Darius Jamsetjee said. “The officer initially attempted to subdue the suspect using a [stun gun], which proved ineffective. After maintaining a safe distance, the officer also employed an expandable baton, which also had no effect.”
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