NEW: Man Files Complaint Claiming He was ‘Targeted’ by Police ‘Flash Bang’ Grenade
Tuesday, December 02, 2014
Glen Waco, 22, filed a complaint against the Portland police claiming he was targeted by "flash bang" grenades at a Saturday protest.
Glenn Waco, 22, of North Portland, was demonstrating against the decision by a Missouri grand jury not to indict officer Darren Wilson, after he fatally shot 18-year-Michael Brown. He was part of a large group that had gathered downtown near the Nines Hotel on Saturday night.
Waco said police told the crowd they were withdrawing from the area, but then threw the grenades and charged the demonstrators.
“Next thing I know I see a bunch of lights on the ground then- Boom, Boom, Boom.” Waco said. “They [police] were screaming and stormed us like they were going to war.”
Waco claimed that two of the nonlethal grenades exploded under foot, toppling him to the ground. He was not injured in the incident.
Waco was one of several dozen people who filed complaints against the Portland Police Bureau at city hall on Monday.
The Office of the City Auditor's Independent Police Review Division would not confirm or deny that they had recieved a complaint from Waco. The process is strictly confidential, an official said.
Waco said that on the Saturday of the protests, he saw the demonstrations and decided to join in.
“I saw what was going on and just showed up,” Waco said. “I said ‘I just really needed to be a part of this.’”
Waco, who also filed a complaint with the NAACP on Monday, said he felt targeted by police that threw the grenades. But he said he was undaunted by the events.
“We are dealing with police accountability,” he said. “This is not discouraging me at all. It’s motivating me.”
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