A graphic video of an elderly man being pushed by Buffalo police officers is being widely circulated on social media. The video shows the man falling to the ground and bleeding out of his ears. The viral clip has led to outrage and the suspension of the police officers involved. However, some social media users claim the video is a hoax and the elderly man in the video used fake blood.
Pushed by Police Officers
As previously reported by International Business Times, the elderly protester was severely injured on Thursday, June 4, after being pushed by the police officers as they cleared Niagara Square in Buffalo. In the video footage of the incident, the 75-year-old man can be seen walking up to officers in tactical gear as they marched towards demonstrators to sweep the area after the 8 p.m. curfew.
As the man approaches, several officers can be seen forcing the man behind. "Move!," yells one of the officers before shoving the man's chest. The push caused the man, who has not yet been identified, to stumble back and fall backward before hitting his head on the concrete floor.
The video then shows a pool of blood forming underneath the man's head almost immediately as people in the crowd can be heard saying, "he's bleeding out of his ears." The man received medical attention at the scene and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he is currently in a stable but serious condition.
The incident led to national and international outcry, prompting Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown to order an internal affairs investigation and suspend the two police officers involved.
Video a 'Hoax,' Claim Users
Shortly after the video emerged, some social media users alleged that the video is a hoax and the elderly man hid fake blood inside his mask. "Antifa hoax. The so-called elderly man had a bag of fake blood in his mask. He wasn't pushed hard enough to fall. He took a dive," one user captioned an image of what the user believes is evidence that the incident was orchestrated.
The image shows an odd bump on the back of the man's head, a can of fake blood, a squirting device and a photo of the man lying on the ground in a pool of blood pointing out two straps coming out of the man's mask, one of which is the supposed wiring of the device.
Another user who claims to be a former paramedic and ICU nurse, pointed out that "blood does NOT drain like a stream out of your ear like that."
"Is this real?," commented another user. "It looks so bizzare and quite fake, almost like he's a dummy and that's an amazing amount of blood. I've seen ear drums ruptured, several times, they don't bleed that bad."
