Image copyright EPA Image caption Bewildered by the size of the gathering, a UDP police officer stood by looking bewildered.
Images show the bewilderment of a U.S. state trooper who was reportedly deployed to break up a peaceful anti-police brutality protest that turned violent.
Several people were arrested after the demonstrations began in Utah on Wednesday, becoming violent on Thursday.
The CNN documentary shines a light on the police response to the situation and the incident itself.
According to one witness the trouble was sparked when a family with a protest sign outside a police station in Huntington, Utah, heard over the phone that they were being arrested.
The police later told the New York Times that the family had been involved in a “verbal confrontation” and had moved on to a nearby police station.
However in the CNN documentary the family appear to welcome the opportunity to get close to the police officers and explain that they were there “for peace and to try to maintain normal things”.
In the footage, and in an official statement issued by police on Thursday, police said that there was no protest when the family were first arrested.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption This image shows a Utah police officer taking cover as protesters break away from a containment
But CNN reports that officers didn’t inform the family of their right to free speech during the arrest and told them they had to wait until police “told them to leave”.
They said that the family broke away, when a UDP officer deployed in protest position stands by holding up his hands with a bow tie to mark his position as if he were about to raise his rifle.
An excerpt of the statement issued by police on Thursday read: “It was possible that UDP failed to identify himself as a peace officer and directed the large crowd of protesters to disperse.”
According to the statement, officers attempted to restore order by deploying UDP officers and using special Tactical Vehicle Stingray during Thursday’s protests.
But CNN is claiming police used pepper spray on the protesters.
And on Friday, several reporters who were in Huntington, Utah to report on the demonstration, were stopped by police while filming.
They were not allowed to film at the scene on Friday and one woman photographed the image shown here.
Image copyright Fox 14 Image caption Police officers block a doorway as protesters inside tear down a barricade
The department has been heavily criticised by some Americans in recent years.
In June, police in a different part of the state tear-gassed protesters.
Salt Lake City Police Detective Veronica Montoya said the department had deployed two vehicles, with 15 officers and three vehicles on the ground, to try to maintain order in the town.
Salt Lake City Deputy Police Chief Kenton Rainey also said that they responded to the rioting with pepper spray, but one officer fired a stun gun after being struck in the groin.
He said one protester had fled when the stun gun was used and a witness had corroborated the officer’s account.
There was no transparency by the state investigation into the incident in June, and so far there have been no details on when that probe is likely to be concluded.