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MURRAY — Polynesian dancers who say they were unlawfully pepper-sprayed and beaten with police batons after a football game last month plan to file a lawsuit against the Roosevelt Police Department.
A group of 10 to 15 Polynesian men and boys gathered near an exit at the Union High School football field to perform the haka following the Cougars' 17-14 loss to Uintah on Oct. 20. The group was there to support a family member playing for Union, and the traditional tribal war chant was intended to boost the team's morale, they said.
Clearly, police officers are taxed with a difficult duty. Keeping the peace is not an easy job, but that does not mean that law enforcers can abuse their authority and cause injury in the process.
–Attorney T. Laura Lui
Police were not aware of the group's plans, however, and two officers used pepper spray and batons to clear the blocked exit. The police department later cleared the officers of any wrongdoing.
The group alleges police abused their power, saying the officers' actions were unprovoked. Attorney T. Laura Lui said video of the altercation recorded by a spectator shows those officer's "unlawful actions."
"Clearly, police officers are taxed with a difficult duty," Lui said in a prepared statement. "Keeping the peace is not an easy job, but that does not mean that law enforcers can abuse their authority and cause injury in the process."
A report released by the Roosevelt Police Department earlier this month said the officers could have chosen to maintain security differently but that their actions were lawful.
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