GRPD addresses use of pepper balls following online video
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — After a crowd of people broke out into fights Friday night in downtown Grand Rapids, police brought out pepper ball launchers to clear the area — a move that caught criticism online.
Friday night into Saturday morning, officers with the Grand Rapids Police Department were monitoring a crowd of about 400 people who had gathered at Commerce Avenue and Cherry Street in downtown Grand Rapids after a sellout show at a local music venue, according to GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom. Around 2:20 a.m., physical fights broke out in the crowd, he said.
'It really devolved into a chaotic situation. Numerous fights were breaking out, I had officers there try and break up the fights, try and you know, bring safety and peace to the area,' Winstrom said.
That's when he said officers told people to get out of the way. When they didn't listen or leave the area for seven or eight minutes, he said officers brought out the pepper ball launchers, which they aimed at the ground to release little clouds of powdered substance.
'It's used in the same way as you would use (mace), it's just you can do it from a safer distance. That was good in this case because there were so many fist fights, so many hands-on confrontation between individuals where there was a lot of opportunities for people to get hurt and a lot of potential for police officers to get hurt. But because of this added tool, it really brought this situation to a halt quickly,' Winstrom explained.
While he wasn't there that night, Winstrom said he reviewed bodycam footage and read the reports, commenting on a 'general air of lawlessness throughout the entire night.' He commended his officers on their restraint.
'This was a situation where people could have been hurt, we have seen unfortunately violent incidents of large crowds like this downtown and elsewhere in the city where we've seen multiple individuals shot,' Winstrom said, citing a shooting outside of a Grand Rapids bar in , one on the Blue Bridge in and the murder of in September of 2023 — all started as large gatherings of people that devolved into fights.
'I really think it was probably just a mix of the warm night, alcohol and bad decisions on the part of people who are just showing bad judgement and I'm very thankful that we're talking about an incident of fights downtown and not talking about a teen getting shot and killed,' Winstrom said.
A video widely shared on social media of the night shows GRPD officers walking in an intersection, some shooting pepper ball guns. Amid coughs and sneezes, some pedestrians walk away and some yell at the police, accusing them of racism.
Winstrom said leaders in the African American community forwarded him the video. He said he's thankful for more trust between police and the community.
'Whereas three years ago I think I would have heard the questions, 'Eric, why the police brutality?' or 'Chief, why are the officers shooting people, why are they doing this?' It was 'Hey Chief, we see this video, we know that this is just part of the story, just wanted to let you know, be aware.' One of the leaders said to me, 'Curb the behavior, curb the negative police interactions,'' Winstrom said.
He said the incident and the video are great opportunities to educate the public on police protocol and set expectations for how Grand Rapids police are going to handle large-crowd situations that devolve into fighting.
'That's how it's going to be downtown this summer. … We want people to come out, enjoy downtown, enjoy the rest of our city, we love to see our spaces activated by people having a good time but doing it peacefully. And when it turns from peaceful to violent, we are going to take action,' Winstrom said.
No one was injured in the incident but five were arrested — one for throwing a bottle at an officer and others for disorderly conduct for fighting and resisting and obstructing a police officer, Winstrom said.
'When you get a lawful instruction from a police officer trying to control a violent incident, if you do not obey you are subject to arrest,' Winstrom said.
He said GRPD is reviewing video to see if more charges are warranted.
'We are holding individuals accountable and intend to set the tone that this sort of lawless behavior won't be tolerated,' Winstrom said.
— News 8's Duncan MacLean contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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