CMPD officer hit ‘No Kings’ protestor’s throat with bike, police report alleges
A Charlotte police officer hit a protestor in the throat with his bike during last month’s anti-Trump No Kings march as the person was backing away, according to a 911 call obtained by The Charlotte Observer through a public record request.
In a June 14 911 call, a person who described themselves as disabled said they were at the front of the crowd that met a line of police during the march that day. Officers began using their bicycles to push protesters back “right before [the rally] was over,” the caller said. As the protestor backed up, an officer hit the protestor in the throat with his bicycle handle, the call alleged.
The protestor had video of it, according to the 911 call dialed from outside Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s headquarters in uptown.
The protestor went to the department to report the incident, and the people inside said to call 911.
The Observer’s questions about the incident and the status of any investigation went unanswered for nearly two weeks, but on Wednesday, CMPD spokesperson Evan White said the complaint was being investigated.
Did officer hit protester with bike?
On the day of the protest, videos surfaced of protesters interacting with officers who were blocking the light rail tracks and later with officers who were blocking a road after the rally’s permitted time had ended. At that intersection, a officer sent a stream of pepper spray toward the crowd.
In the call to police, the protestor did not specify exactly when or where they were hit.
“They were using their bicycles to kind of push people back and telling us to move back,” the protestor said. “Which is totally understandable — just doing their job. And everything was kind of peaceful, but one of their officers, while I was moving backwards, decided to hit me in the throat with the bicycle handle.”
The protestor also declined medical attention during the call, asking instead to make a police report. The dispatcher said an officer would soon be outside the protestor’s car, which was parked in CMPD’s lot.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM.
