A Washington state trooper has been caught on camera preparing his fellow officers to engage with protesters by saying: “Don’t kill them, hit them hard.” The trooper’s words are muffled by a gas mask, but clearly audible. The Washington Post reported the state patrol apologized for what the trooper was caught saying after the video was shared widely Tuesday night. “We’re aware of the video and we apologize for the poor choice of words by one of our team leaders,” said Chris Loftis, director of communications for the Washington State Patrol. He added that the trooper wasn’t telling his team to hurt protesters but was “preparing his troops for a confrontative situation.” In Seattle alone, the city’s Office of Police Accountability has reportedly received around 12,000 complaints against the Seattle Police Department stemming from the demonstrations.
