SEATTLE — Seattle police acknowledged pepper spray was used in a violent confrontation with protesters near the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building in downtown Seattle, the first such use under a new city ordinance on use-of-force and non-lethal weapons.

It was unclear if the pepper spray was deployed on Tuesday or Wednesday night.

PREVIOUSLY | Anti-ICE protest in Seattle turns tense as fireworks, rocks thrown at police, 8 arrested

The Seattle Police Department was limited in its crowd control methods after the Capitol Hill occupation in the summer of 2020, and last year a judge urged a change in policy so the city could get out from under federal oversight that has been in place since 2012.

The Seattle Council sponsored legislation, with the backing of Seattle mayor Bruce Harrell, to allow for the limited use of pepper spray for crowd control. However, tear gas and blast balls can only be used with the authorization of the mayor in an emergency.

LEARN MORE | Seattle council approves new policy on police crowd control weapons in 6-3 vote

The protests outside the building have centered around federal immigration policy and ICE arrests, and devolved into chaos during both nights, with lingering people dressed in all-black throwing projectiles at officers, vandalizing the building, and burning a dumpster.

However, Seattle Council Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle applauded the police department’s work on Thursday, saying “I think they did a good job, and so we just need to be working through the lessons learned and then doing it in a professional way.”

Eight people were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the vandalism and protest. Another two people were detained after the Tuesday protest.