Texas cop pepper sprays bystanders filming arrest on camera phones

Police in Texas have been caught on camera pepper spraying a man who was filming an arrest on a busy city street.  

One man, who uploaded a video of the incident online, said he saw an officer tackle a young man who “looked a little too young to be drinking” on Austin’s popular Sixth Street early Sunday morning local time.

As officers gathered at the scene, a horse-mounted policeman snatched a phone from a witness before a second fired pepper spray at him and surrounding bystanders.

The man said the crowd had not provoked the aggression other than by filming the scene.

“Police pushed all back and started kicking people too close,” he told NBC News.

“Pepper spray/deterrent was used on bystander who was filming the incident, doing nothing.”

The Austin Police Department told US media they were aware of the incident and were investigating whether the officer’s conduct was appropriate.