Videos captured cases of officers in military-style uniforms destroying property during the protests over the past week.
Mother Jones compiled the videos and reports, showing officers stabbing tires and photos showing that every tire was slashed in various parking lots in Minneapolis near the protests.
The Star Tribune identified some of the officers caught puncturing tires as state troopers and deputies from the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office. They admitted it happened at two locations in the city. According to the report, the officers claimed they made the move “strategically” because they wanted to “stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement,” said Minnesota Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bruce Gordon. They then claimed that they only targeted cars that had things in them that “contained items used to cause harm during violent protests” such as rocks and concrete.
It’s a false claim since Luke Mogelson, a New Yorker writer, was among those who had his tires slashed. He was there to report on the protests. It’s unknown if insurance companies will file claims against the county or municipalities to pay for the damage.
Cost for a set of four new tires plus the installation can be anywhere from $500 to $1,000, depending on the car. If an insurance company has about 100 people who were impacted, that could mean these cities and counties could be on the hook for $50,000 to $100,000 or more.
A similar situation appears to have occurred in New York, where video showed officers damaging their own vehicle. Another group was outed for destroying supplies.
John Oliver noted in his Sunday report that police were also outed for using excessive force against protesters on numerous occasions during the protests, including running their cars into groups of people.
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