Several San Diego police officers are under investigation after a video on Twitter showed the arrest of a woman by a group of plain-clothed officials who detained her in an unmarked vehicle outside San Diego High School.
The video was taken on June 4 in downtown San Diego following a demonstration calling for the end of racial injustice. It was posted with the caption, “Welcome to peaceful protesting.”
Authorities said the arrest happened at about 9:20 p.m. in the area of 1400 Park Boulevard. The woman was taken away in an unmarked car and an officer threatened to shoot protesters who came to her defense.
The video shows several police officers and SWAT team members surrounding a kneeling woman, with another woman in the background being arrested.
The woman in the background is then seen being taken into an unmarked vehicle, prompting protesters to ask where she is going and what is happening.
One official can be heard telling the protesters, “You follow us, you will get shot. Do you understand me?”
According to the San Diego Police Department, a plainclothes detective “witnessed a woman step off of the sidewalk into the roadway and swing a cardboard sign at a passing SDPD motorcycle officer.”
Afterward, the detective drove up to the woman and placed her under arrest. SWAT team members also arrived at the scene and “prepared to de-escalate the situation,” according to SDPD.
The woman who was arrested has since been released after she posted bail.