Utah Cop Pepper Sprays Dancing, Chanting Fans At High School Football Game

October 24, 2011 @ 2:18PM

Utah Cop Pepper Sprays Dancing, Chanting Fans At High School Football Game

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Once again, a police officer was caught on video abusing his power.

This time, the incident took place in Utah when a Roosevelt police officer used pepper spray on a group of Polynesians who were performing a traditional dance after a high school football game last Thursday.

The dancers were congregating near an exit, which incidentally was blocking the area for the football players to leave the field.

The cop has ordered them to “make a hole,” but his orders were drowned out by the chanting dancers.

So he had no choice but to pull out his pepper spray to disperse the group, which ended up blinding several spectators who were not part of the dance.

The dancers had traveled from Salt Lake City to Roosevelt, a town of 8,000 about 125 miles away, to watch a relative play in the game.

The began performing their traditional dance, called the Haka, to boost morale for their relative’s school, Union High School, which had just ended the season without a single victory.

According to the Associated Press:

Spectators, coaches and players told police that everything was fine and they should let the men perform,

Jessica Rasmussen said, but officers asked them to make room and started using pepper spray. Rasmussen said she and other bystanders also got spray in their eyes, ears and mouths.

Union fan Jason Kelly said the way police reacted was an embarrassment to the community of Roosevelt.

"I've never seen anything like it," Kelly said. "It was totally unprovoked."

Comments

Duane Kerzic

6 months ago

He must have been fearing for his life.

Norwegian Chap

6 months ago

If this was authorized, the police shouldn't have interferred in any way.

Using pepper spray couldn't have been anything but unwarranted in a situation like that. I've seen had more unruly crowds than that at the student pub I'm a doorman at, and even if we were alloved to carry spray, which luckily we aren't, I wouldn't use it.

These are professional police officers, they should know better.

Why is it that pepper spray is these days used more as a default than as a mean of self defense? Heck, here in Norway, the local cops would just have waited for a bit while smiling, and then went through. From what it looks like, this was a stupid deployment of pepper spray.

Bergman

6 months ago

So if a cop whispers an order under his breath, while 100 yards away from you, you would feel him justified in taking action against you for disobeying his orders?

If the person an officer is issuing an order to cannot hear the officer, the officer needs to make himself heard. It's not disobedience if you are unaware of the order.

Rail Car Fan

6 months ago

Another one who feels "Cops Can Do NO Wrong"!!

Rail Car Fan

KBCraig

6 months ago

From the beginning of the chant to deploying pepper spray was about 20 seconds.

Thank goodness that emergency was averted, officer!

Happy Tinfoil Cat

6 months ago

I suspect the cop is a Roosevelt alumnus. Then there's the xenophobia from a small town in Utah, even though the Mormons imported a bunch of Tongans, I'm not sure how well they are accepted. Going into a primal dance like that strikes fear in the hearts of lilly-white cops.

Desert Rat

6 months ago

A good haka will do that

vince from NJ

6 months ago

Sorry, they were not dancers. They were impeding on the right of the football team to go about their business.

Why should the players be subjected to such aggressive intimidations. Let them do their stupid dance on the sidelines with the rest of the cheerleaders.

As for the mace. Well, maybe that was uncalled for.

*Pixie*

6 months ago

The cop you can see is one of our most RADICAL officers...I don't think he's from here but I know he thinks he's a badass.

As for blocking the exit--- c'mon it's a FOOTBALL FIELD. All they were blocking is the aisle between two grandstands. You can exit this field from any angle, there's no fence surrounding the field.

Remember, it's a SMALL TOWN. Small as in TINY. Plus, these dancers had done this chant at every home game that season. But I'd imagine that the police dept. had received complaints from some residents, those that are scared of new things like chanting in a foreign language... or coffee. LOL~

kaylee

6 months ago

Pixie-
You have got to be kidding me!!!!! Have you been to the football field at a game yet in Roosevelt??? Obviously not... The lock all exits but one so the track doesnt get torn up... DUH, no your facts!!!

kaylee

6 months ago

Oh Pixie, went to field today, guess what?? There is a fence ALL around the football field. If you live in the Basin you need to get out more.