Protestors face off with the forces of order in DC and New York, as crowds gather at City Hall in San Francisco

The two Atlanta police officers who were fired for using excessive force against two protesters said they had tased the couple over concerns they were armed.

The incident happened in Atlanta, Georgia, late Saturday night during protests against the death of George Floyd. Video of the confrontation show two young college students in their car, before being tased by police.

Officer statements: The officer who tased the male driver said, ““The driver started grabbing his right pocket area, causing me to us (sic) my ECW (Electronic Conductive Weapon) on him.”  

The officer who tased the female passenger said he gave verbal commands to the female to, “show her hands and stop resisting.” He also wrote he “heard officers say ‘gun’ two-three times,” according to the report.  

They were fired after the incident: The two officers have been fired, and three other officers involved are now on desk duty pending further determination of disciplinary action, said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

“There clearly was a use of excessive force,” she said. “We understand that our officers are working very long hours under an enormous amount of stress. But we also understand that the use of excessive force is never acceptable.”