The Washington D.C. college student who was chased, tackled, and injured by police gave the ironic explanation commonly used by officers in fatal shootings -- the same valid declaration uttered by many in communities of color when encountering those sworn to protect them -- he feared for his life.

A Black teenager from the D.C. area inspired protests after a recording showed him being brutally detained by police officers for making a White customer at a local bank feel "uncomfortable."