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The Denver police shot a man with a pepper ball gun as a crowd of people watched along the 16th Street Mall on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

A witness of the incident that took place at the intersection of California and 16th street posted a Facebook video showing 43-year-old Allen Watkins holding what appears to be a metal pipe while police surrounding him shouted to “put the pipe down.”

When Watkins did not comply, Denver police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said, an officer shot him with a pepper ball gun that deploys paintball-like projectiles filled with a pepper spray irritant.

The video shows Watkins falling to the ground and dropping the pipe after being shot. Officers can be seen coughing in reaction to the irritant.

Police were pursuing Watkins as a robbery suspect before the shooting took place, Lopez said.

Lopez did not know the details of the robbery but said Watkins was shot with the pepper ball gun for refusing to follow commands to drop the pipe.

He is now being held for investigation of aggravated robbery and felony menacing.

As for the nearby crowds of people on the mall, Lopez said bystander safety is always a concern.

“They usually try to taze first before deploying the pepper ball,” she said. “We always make sure that our surroundings are clear of any shot whether it’s a tazer, pepper ball and so on.”

Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or