The Los Angeles Police Department will investigate a scuffle between officers and bicycle-riding protesters captured on video and posted on YouTube on Friday.
Hundreds of cyclists rode through Los Angeles to protest oil company BP's ongoing handling of the spill off the Gulf of Mexico.
Part of the incident was captured on a hand-held camera and posted as "Hollywood Cops Attack Bicycle Riders." The clip shows one officer kicking a protester, and does not clearly show the incident. It runs 1 minute, 31 seconds and can be viewed here.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League's President Paul Weber issued the following statement:
"We only ask that the community refrain from a rush to judgment. It is always important to remember that home video, shot from a distance, from one angle and in the dark, and not at the beginning of the incident seldom tells the whole story."
The incident occurred Friday at 9:30 p.m. as officers were issuing citations to cyclists who failed to stop at red lights, the Los Angeles Times reports.
