Occupy Oakland Protests: Did Police Use A Flash-Bang Grenade?

WATCH: Video Suggests Oakland Police Use Flash Bang Grenade

In a press release issued on Tuesday night following hours of heated Occupy Oakland protests, the Oakland Police Department reported that officers had not used rubber bullets or flash-bang grenades during the protest.

However, a YouTube video released on Wednesday appeared to show officers deploying a flash-bang grenade.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO)

In the press release, OPD included a question and answer section that addressed the use of flash-bang grenades:

Question: Did the Police deploy rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades? Answer: No, the loud noised that were heard originated from M-80 explosives thrown at Police by protesters. In addition, Police fired approximately four bean bag rounds at protesters to stop them from throwing dangerous objects at the officers.

In the video, a crowd gathered around an injured protester as a small explosion occurred on the ground next to the group. A slow-motion replay appeared to show an officer shooting a bean bag into the crowd that then exploded on the ground.

The Huffington Post attempted to contact the OPD on several occasions, but the Department did not immediately respond to comment.

See the video of a the possible use of flash-bang grenades below:

UPDATE: The Oakland Police Department responded to The Huffington Post, writing: "All uses of force during last night's operation are being investigated."

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