Does a video show the moment when a fed-up riot police officer pepper sprays a shouting protester in the face? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. A glitch that gives away the AI origin is that the pepper spray canister falls to the ground, and despite this, a sustained stream continues to spray from the officer's empty hand.
The video (archived here) was posted on X by @RyanAFournier on Nov. 6, 2025. It was captioned:
This is something I can watch all day... 🤣🤣🤣
This is a screenshot of the video in the post:
(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot from RyanAFournier/status/1986420256248644009.)
This video circulated online for over a week. One post (archived here) on TikTok was published on Oct. 27, 2025 -- with no disclaimer or watermarks disclosing that it was AI generated. In the Lead Stories composite image below, three screenshots show the officer reacting. As he pulls the pepper spray canister off his vest, the pressurized can falls to the ground, but the spray continues to blast from his hand. This glitch is a clear giveaway that the video was AI-generated.
(Image source: Lead Stories composite image with screenshots from RyanAFournier/status/1986420256248644009.)
Other fact checks
Similar pepper spray videos have been investigated by Lead Stories and Snopes.
