Nationwide — Jacob Pederson, a police officer of the St. Paul Police Department, has been identified by some sources as the man in a viral video who is seen vandalizing and smashing store windows in Minneapolis. The police department, however, is denying that the man in the video is one of their own. They have released a statement to the media saying:
We are aware of the social media post that erroneously identifies one of our officers as the person caught on video breaking windows in Minneapolis. We want to be perfectly clear about this: The person in the video is not our officer.
Our officer has been working hard, serving his community, keeping people and property safe, and protecting the right to peacefully assemble. It’s unfortunate that people would post and share this untrue information, adding more confusion to an already painful time in our community.
Social media, however, has a different take and many are convinced that the man in the video is indeed Officer Jacob Pederson. Some who were on the scene even recognized him, and many are questioning if he was also involved in setting buildings on fire in the city.
A woman claiming to be his ex-wife has even come forward saying that she is 90% sure that it’s him, and that she recognizes the gas mask and gloves he was wearing.
Mainstream media has shown mostly African Americans looting, vandalizing and violently protesting, but this footage paints a different picture.