ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: Man who helped injured officer in viral video later shot with rubber bullet during SJ protest

ByKate Larsen KGO logo

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Exclusive: Man who helped injured officer in SJ protest later shot with rubber bullet

While viral video of Tim Harper helping an injured officer circulated, so did a video of a San Jose police officer, Jared Yuen, taunting protesters. After watching the news, Harper claims Yuen was the same officer who shot him with a rubber bullet.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose man rushed to help an injured police officer at Friday's protest over the death of George Floyd, only to later get shot by an officer with a rubber bullet.

"I was shot in my stomach," said San Jose resident Tim Harper, who took a rubber bullet to the gut on Friday. He was in so much pain Monday, he had to leave his construction job early.

He was hit after he defended a teenage boy, who was hit in the head by police projectiles outside San Jose City Hall.

"I tried to walk up peacefully. I was a good distance from them and I just said 'you guys just shot a kid in the head over here, what the heck is wrong with you guys' and then the next thing I know, an officer walked through two officers, shot me, and then stepped behind the other two officers, and I just turned around and walked off."

To add insult to literal injury, moments before he was hit, Harper ran to help an injured officer. Video shows Harper carrying the man to safety with two other officers.

"Instincts - I ran up there and grabbed his ankles and carried him to his car."

While the video of Harper helping police circulated, so did video of San Jose police officer, Jared Yuen, taunting protesters.

Yuen is now under investigation for possible misconduct. Harper saw the story on the news Monday and recognized Yuen as the cop who fired the rubber bullet at him.

Kate Larsen: "How do you know it was Officer Yuen?"

Referencing the painful bruising on his stomach, Harper said, "when you wake up in the morning like this, you're not going to forget a face."

Harper called SJPD internal affairs and wrote a letter to Mayor Sam Liccardo.

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 protestors on Friday.

He's also frustrated with San Jose police chief, Eddie Garcia's, response to Yuen's behavior.

"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 Chief Garcia at a Sunday press conference.

"You got the chief of police backing this cop and we don't want cops like this around here," said Harper. "They need to fire him."

Larsen: "What do you want from SJPD and Officer Yuen?

Harper: "I just want an apology"

Harper was not actually part of the original demonstration on Friday, he just lives near City Hall and was observing. But after everything that happened, he protested against police brutality, all weekend.

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

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