‘Hit the gas’ post on video of man driving at protesters was accident, Iowa chief says
An Iowa police chief says a Facebook comment about a video of a truck driving through a protest was a “total accident,” media outlets reported.
Sioux Rapids Police Chief Tim Porter posted “HIT THE GAS AND HANG ON OVER THE ROAD BUMPS” in a comment under a video of a man driving through a crowd of protesters in Des Moines on Saturday, screenshots show.
Over the weekend, demonstrators had gathered in Des Moines to protest policies by Hy-Vee and support of a Black employee who accused the grocery store company of discrimination and sexual harassment, WHO reported.
Protests against police brutality have erupted across the U.S. after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on George Floyd, a Black man, for about 8 minutes while three other officers stood by. All four officers were fired and charged.
Black Lives Matter organizers sent video of the man driving through the crowd to Des Moines TV station KCCI.
The news outlet posted a story about the video and the driver losing his job on Facebook. The screenshot shows the police chief’s comment, which now appears to be deleted.
In a statement, Porter said accidentally posted the comment on the incorrect Facebook post and apologized for “all the confusion,” Storm Lake Radio reported.
Here’s the entire statement obtained by the radio station:
“I have a huge apology to all that saw my Facebook page yesterday of myself making a comment about running over a person in the street holding a USA sign. Someone called me last night and asked me about it, I was just surprised myself. I was on another post working and somehow it accidentally was posted on the wrong post. I just want to publicly apologize for my horrible mistake, my posting was a total accident. I don’t want to offend anyone. I’m all for peaceful protest, bad cops getting removed. People that know me, know I would never encourage anyone to run over any protester or anyone. I’m for change like everyone. I feel horrible for my mistake. I’m sorry for all the confusion.”
The Sioux Rapids mayor and city council provided a statement to the Des Moines Register that stated a social media post by a member of the police department was under investigation.
“Public trust and accountability are the foundations of policing,” the statement provided to the newspaper says. “When an officer violates that trust, it is our responsibility to ensure that it does not occur again. We are committed to running a police department that respects the rights of every officer and every citizen and guest of our community.”
Sioux Rapids is a town of about 775 in central Iowa.
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