After asking the protesters to leave several times, university police pepper sprayed a group of student demonstrators as they were seated on a paved path in the campus quad. The video of UC Davis police officer Lt. John Pike pepper-spraying demonstrators spread around the world as a viral video and the photograph became an Internet meme. Pike was subsequently fired, despite a recommendation that he face disciplinary action but be kept on the job.
After the incident, large protests against the use of pepper spray occurred on campus. UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi apologized to the students, saying that the police had acted against her orders for there to be no arrests and no use of force. A public debate about the militarization of police and the appropriate use of pepper spray on peaceful protesters took place in the media, with questions raised about the freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
On 18 November , campus police officer Lt. John Pike pepper sprayed nonviolent demonstrators at UC Davis. The demonstrations were primarily in response to tuition hikes at the university, and more broadly aligned with the Occupy movement.
According to The New York Times , multiple videos show a peaceful demonstration with officers "freely moving about". Davis police chief Annette Spicuzza, the protesters had surrounded the officers and would not let them leave. Following the incident, the campus police chief and two officers were placed on administrative leave. Katehi requested an inquiry into the incident and, in response, Mark Yudof , president of the University of California system appointed a task force to investigate the incident.
President Yudof also contracted Kroll Inc. Bratton , to conduct the factual investigation and a review of police procedures for the task force. The Davis Division of the UC Academic Senate the faculty of the University of California conducted their own, separate investigation concurrently as well. Personnel in the Yolo County district attorney's office and Yolo County sheriff's department also reviewed the pepper spray incident to determine whether there was any "criminal conduct".
