The St. Paul police sergeant whose Facebook post urged drivers this weekend to run over Black Lives Matter protestors apologized in a statement released Wednesday, according to the Star Tribune.
“I am extremely sorry for posting what I did, I understand that the post was insensitive and wrong. My poor choice of words conveyed a message I did not intend and am not proud of,” Sgt. Jeffrey M. Rothecker wrote in the statement, according to the Star Tribune.
The statement was released by the St. Paul Police Federation, the union that represents police, according to the newspaper.
Police learned of the Facebook post from Andrew Henderson, who often videotapes police officers to hold them accountable, the Pioneer Press reported. Rothecker had posted it under the name “JM Roth” on an article about a demonstration on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The police force put Rothecker on paid leave while it investigates.