All good points.

If anybody deserves some slack it isn't the officer. They are supposed to be the trained participant in the interaction, as opposed to someone who is almost certainly nervous and likely frightened. It is the officer who should be calm, prepared, and de-escalating.

I remember all the protests after George Floyd, and how often certain segments of society and the media were quick to call out violence at protests – but it was most likely the police causing or aggravating the violence.

I feel that too often the police are "initiating contact" (questionable sports metaphor), clearly hoping to escalate the situation so they can knock some people around. If that happens, I think everyone involved needs to be fired and leadership replaced.