San Jose police officer under investigation for behavior during George Floyd protests

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose police officer has been taken off the street and is now under an Internal Affairs investigation, after video surfaced of him appearing to taunt George Floyd protesters on Friday.

Two videos of the officer have exploded on Twitter, and the complaints had an impact at San Jose City Hall Sunday evening.

Friday in San Jose, 33-year-old San Jose police officer Jared Yuen appeared ready for action, swaying with his projectile launcher. His demeanor draws a reaction from the crowd.

Protestors say, "This is funny to them, they're having a blast, they have smiles on their faces."

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He runs away, and back, and Yuen says, "Let's get this mother___."

Andrea Prichett is a founding member of Berkeley Copwatch and she told the I-Team, "He was escalating an already seemingly tense situation and making it even worse, thus endangering members of the public."

In a second video, a woman asks him, "Why are you on that side?" He answers, "Shut up, ___!"

Seconds later, he reaches around another officer and fires a projectile. The scuffle is on.

Copwatch points out those projectiles, like the one ABC News I-Team reporter Dan Noyes picked up at that same protest on Friday, can be dangerous fired that way.

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"They're a crowd control weapon, they're meant to disperse crowds, they're not meant to be fired at close range," says Andrea Pritchett.

Those videos spread across Twitter Sunday, and by evening, San Jose's police chief announced he has removed Officer Yuen from street duty. He's now under an internal affairs investigation.

"I'm not happy with his actions, I'm sure if Jared was sitting here he'd be embarrassed as well. But I will tell you, I know Jared and he's a good kid who made a mistake who let his emotions get the better of him," said SJPD Chief Eddie Garcia in a news conference.

The only Asian-American on the San Jose City Council says Officer Yuen should not be fired.

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"We have to proceed and call out wrongs, but we need to provide space to win people's hearts and minds and allow them a chance to atone and win allies as we continue on the righteous path," Lan Diep told the I-Team

Public records show that Officer Yuen took home $225,000 dollars last year, if you count overtime and benefits. He's been on the job six years.

Take a look at the latest stories and videos about the investigation into George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.

For a look at more stories and videos by the ABC7 News I-Team go here.