In a video originally posted on YouTube by another participant in the Seattle rally on January 19, a police officer is seen pepper spraying Hagopian directly in the face while he was on the phone and walking away from the gathering. In addition to his teaching duties, Hagopian is a popular city activist and had earlier spoken at the rally. Hagopian’s attorney says the teacher and activist was on the phone with his mother and was talking with her about going back home to celebrate his child’s second birthday.
“Thankfully, someone caught it on video and now everyone can see what happened,” Hagopian posted on Facebook earlier in the week when the video first surfaced. He also commented about it on Twitter, writing, “Wish we had a better world!”
This isn’t the first time the Seattle Police Department has been involved in these kinds of incidents. The U.S. Justice Department investigated in 2011 and found that the city’s police had “engaged in a pattern of excessive force that violates the constitution and federal law” and that could be discriminatory. At that time, the police force pledged to increase its community outreach efforts and conduct more training of its officers.
The police won’t comment on the Hagopian lawsuit, saying they can’t speak about ongoing cases.
