DAVIS, Calif.—University of California (UC), Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi has placed Police Chief Annette Spicuzza on administrative leave while the school investigates Friday’s pepper spraying incident.
“As I have gathered more information about the events that took place on our Quad on Friday, it has become clear to me that this is a necessary step toward restoring trust on our campus,” Katehi said in a statement, reports CNN.
Today Katehi is scheduled to create a task force that will investigate Friday’s incident in which officers in riot gear pepper sprayed protesters at close range. The protesters were seated and had locked arms so that police could not get through to the Occupy Wall Street encampment. Ten individuals were arrested after they refused to take down their tents.
UC President Mark Yudof condemned police response to the protests at UC campuses that have taken place over the past few weeks. He has vowed to review how police handle these matters on all UC campuses.
“I am appalled by images of University of California students being doused with pepper spray and jabbed with police batons on our campuses,” Yudof said in a statement yesterday. “I intend to do everything in my power as president of this university to protect the rights of our students, faculty and staff to engage in non-violent protest.”
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