More disturbing details continue to come out of last night’s mayhem in Oakland, where police used tear gas and what sure looks like flash bombs and rubber bullets against protesters. Perhaps the worst so far is the story of Scott Olsen, who completed two tours of duty in Iraq, and joined the Occupy Oakland movement as a member of Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War. He is now in stable but critical condition at a California hospital after being hit in the head with what witnesses say was a “police projectile.”
Olsen, 24, can be seen getting carried away bleeding by a group of demonstrators in the first video. The second clip shows slow-motion footage of police throwing something explosive into a group of protesters. At least one person can be sitting hitting the ground, but it’s unclear if that person is Olsen.
A friend who served with Olsen in Iraq told the Guardian that Olsen has a fractured skull and brain swelling, and that a neurosurgeon would decide whether or not he needs surgery.
Related: Police Tear Gas Protesters to Clear Occupy Oakland
Occupy Oakland: Iraq war veteran in critical condition after police clashes [Guardian UK]
