The department says it was triggered by a video shot by a passerby and posted on social media, which appears to show the suspect face down on the street with an officer’s knee on him while his hands are in the process of being restricted.
“We must ensure that we have carried out a process based solely on law and not on emotion,” Chief Murphy Paul said at a press conference on Monday. The boss says they can’t reveal the 17-year-old’s name or what led to the boy’s restraint because he is a minor. “I just spoke to the young man’s family and I can tell them they are upset,” Chief Paul said.
The department released the body camera and dashcam video, which shows parts from various angles of the July 6 incident, on Tuesday after obtaining permission from a juvenile court judge. The arrest followed a 54-minute police chase in which the minor was a passenger.
Sergeant Commander of Internal Affairs. Myron Daniels says a key factor in determining whether the officer’s strength was justified will be the exact placement of the officer’s knee. “A knee in the back is used as a method of control, but not in the neck. The neck is out of bounds,” said Daniels. “And as you can see, based on that, at no time was the topic, the child’s air was restricted in any way.”
But a lawyer for the boy’s family tells CNN affiliate WAFB that they don’t believe the location of the officer’s knee is the critical problem. “When you’re on your knees with your hands up, you don’t get much more submissive than that,” said Ron Haley on Monday night. “Why was he handled so rudely? He was not armed. He did not pose a threat.”
The two officers involved in restraining the 17-year-old were not identified, but Sgt. Daniels says they both have paid administrative leave during the investigation. “I promise you as the police chief that we will carry out a thorough investigation,” Chief Paul said.
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