Blast ball

They can also be used by police tactical units in close-quarters combat to incapacitate suspects as a less-lethal and less-destructive alternative to actual grenades, which are generally unattainable by civilian law enforcement.

In this application, they are intended to frighten away and disperse "casual" rioters, or those who have been "sucked into" the contagion of the crowd, allowing police or prison guards to separate them from, and engage with, the remaining "hardcore instigator" element.

The police line held at the intersection, which allowed negotiators to use the public address system to warn the crowd and encourage them to leave.

[9] The SPD denied her claims, alleging that tests show that a blast ball detonated at contact range against ballistic gel fails to produce trauma or tearing.

[3] In 2020, a judge found the SPD in contempt for frequent use of blast balls while attempting to quell the George Floyd protests in Seattle, finding that they were used "when no immediate threat to the officers' safety or public property could be identified".