Police said demonstrators rushed them and tossed molotov cocktails, while the protesters accused security personnel of excessive force during what are shaping up to be the largest protests in the conflict-prone country in years.
Slager had one complaint in his personnel file of excessive force that was ultimately dismissed, according to participants speaking at news conferences on Thursday.
Four men are suing the Metropolitan Transit System, one of its code compliance inspectors and a private security contractor over allegations that the trolley personnel assaulted them, used excessive force and violated their civil rights, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month.
Although the authorities initially blamed the violence that night on protesters, eyewitnesses claimed in accounts posted on social media sites that the military had used excessive force, firing live ammunition and driving armored personnel carriers into crowds.
Although the authorities initially blamed that night's violence on protesters, eyewitnesses claimed that soldiers had used excessive force, firing live ammunition and driving armored personnel carriers into crowds outside the headquarters of state television, known as Maspiro.
His personnel file shows that, except for a 2013 excessive force allegation for which he was later cleared, he earned positive marks during firearms qualifications and was praised by a training officer after one of his first nights on patrol.
Unfortunately, there have also been reports of American personnel - and their counterparts in the Afghan government - using excessive force, carrying out arbitrary detentions and mistreating Afghans in custody.
But Blackwater personnel in Iraq soon gained a reputation for cowboy tactics and the use of excessive force while guarding convoys of United States diplomats, leading to complaints from Iraqis and friction with the United States military.
The allegations of excessive force prompted the navy ministry to release a statement insisting that "in every operation carried out by navy personnel human rights are strictly respected".
In short, prosecutors review the personnel files for any information that speaks to the credibility of the officers, their history of bias or their use of excessive force.
