Washington State Patrol apologizes after officer tells his team, ‘Don’t kill them, but hit them hard’

SEATTLE — The Washington State Patrol issued an apology after video surfaced of an officer telling his team, “Don’t kill them, but hit them hard,” while preparing to clear protesters from the streets in Seattle’s Capitol Hill on Tuesday evening.

The video was taken shortly before 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.

Twitter users responded, some with comments praising police aggression, others with horror. One response: “Hit them hard but don’t kill them? Just maim and disfigure, am I right officer?”

WSP spokesman Chris Loftis, in a statement released Wednesday morning, said the officer was trying to motivate, reassure and prepare his team for a difficult task.

He said officers were getting ready to conduct a “push technique” designed to actively force “aggressive, non-compliant, and threatening protestors away from a designated area. That type of physicality takes motivation and focus as well as balance and restraint. The team leader’s intent of motivating and reassuring his troopers was commendable but his word choice, especially when considered outside of the context of his team’s immediate challenges, was not.”

From the statement: “WSP is aware of the video and apologizes for the poor choice of words by one our team leaders preparing his troopers for a possibly confrontational situation. We hope the public will accept that apology and we ask for grace and understanding as our troopers are serving in tense situations of danger and difficulty.

“They are doing so with courage, commitment and compassion, but not always with perfection. As disappointed as we are that a word choice might obscure that work, we are proud of how our agency and others have worked to protect the rights of free speech and peaceful demonstration throughout this unprecedented period of statewide demonstrations.”