By Shereen Siewert
A Wausau Police officer was injured over the weekend when a protester in Madison threw a projectile at a bus, shattering a window, Deputy Chief Matt Barnes said Monday.
The officer is one of eight sent to Madison to assist local police dealing with large-scale protests that broke out after a man died in police custody in Minneapolis.
The death of George Floyd sparked protests in cities around the country including Wausau. But unlike Wausau’s demonstration, some protests turned violent over the weekend.
Barnes said officers from Wausau who have specific training in large-scale events were sent to Madison on Sunday and returned Monday, the type of mutual aid that happens frequently throughout agencies in Wisconsin.
“At the end of the day when we need help, they’re there for us, too,” Barnes said. “That’s how law enforcement is run.”
The injury happened when the officer, riding in a bus that was transporting police to and from protest areas, was struck in the eye by a shard of glass from the shattered window.
Barnes said the injury is not severe and all officers have since returned to Wausau.
The name of the injured officer was not disclosed.
