Andrea Sahouri, (Andrea May Sahouri) a Register Journalist was arrested by the Des Moines, Washington and detained at the back of a police vehicle on Sunday, May 31, 2020 while she was covering a demonstration at Merle Hay Mall that turned violent. ^[1] Sahouri is said to have covered the protest for the death of Mr George Floyd who died in Police custody in Minneapolis as well as the response of the police and the looters damaging retail stores all weekend.^[5]

While still detained by the police in the van at Merle Hay Mall, Sahouri @andreamsahouri took to twitter ^[4]

and uploaded a video saying that the cops shot pepper spray in her face despite the fact that she identified herself as part of the media to the officer.^[3] In the tweet shortly before 8PM, she said that the cops fired tear gas at the protesters and she was running away from the police together with her boyfriend along with the protesters when he was hit on the leg by a Tear gas canister

An officer responded, “I didn’t ask,” before spraying her twice in the face with Pepper spray, the Register reported. Officers then handcuffed her using zip ties, Sahouri said in the video.

Another Register reporter who was with Sahouri was not arrested but shared the same account of the events with editors before Sahouri posted her video on Twitter. Des Moines, Iowa - KCCI crews witnessed as Sahouri was being taken into police custody and put into a police vehicle at Merle Hay Mall shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday. ^[2] In footage captured by KCCI 8 News, Sahouri can be seen sitting on a curb, hands cuffed behind her back. It appeared she was wailing in pain from the pepper spray.

Andrea Sahouri is a a police and crime Register reporter^[6] and was going about her duty when she was assaulted by the police.

Sahouri was taken to the Polk County Jail, where she was charged with failure to disperse and interference with official acts. She was released from police custody shortly after 11 p.m., the Register reported.