Video: Cleveland Officer Pepper Sprays 'Black Lives Matter' Protesters After They Surround Cop Car to Prevent It From Leaving

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Police said an officer was forced to pepper spray a crowd of “Black Lives Matter” protesters after they surrounded a cop car in which an “intoxicated” teen was being held to prevent it from leaving the area.

The tense moments were captured on video in Cleveland after the first national Black Lives Matter conference (WARNING: Strong language):

They got a 14 year old handcuffed going into the ems #m4bl pic.twitter.com/q42VeGcgYN

— #PennyRaps Dropped. (@RicWilson) July 26, 2015

WATCH: This is the officer who sprayed #M4BL attendees with pepper spray. pic.twitter.com/vWtBLiB7Um

— Tyree Boyd-Pates (@TyreeBP) July 26, 2015

Police said in a statement that they removed the 14-year-old boy from a bus because he was “intoxicated to the point where he was unable to care for himself.” Officers took the minor to a bus shelter and then relocated him to a police cruiser.

“Transit Police followed normal procedure, which is -- after police collect pertinent information, juveniles are transported to police headquarters to await release to a parent or legal guardian,” the statement said.

However, a crowd reportedly surrounded the police cruiser within minutes and “attempted to remove the juvenile from the car, police said. When the crowd stopped the police cruiser from leaving the area, an officer used a “general burst of pepper stray in an attempt to push back the crowd, to no avail.”

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Police confirmed that the 14-year-old was released to his mom at around 6 p.m. on Sunday. The incident is under investigation.

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(H/T: HuffPost)

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