A disturbing video showing deputies in Harris County, Texas, aggressively arresting two high school football players has prompted the sheriff’s office to conduct an internal probe.
According to Houston’s ABC 13, the incident began when 12th grader Kristopher Willis ran out of gas. He called a few of his teammates from the parking lot for help. When they arrived, they were dragged from their cars by police on the scene and arrested and charged on the spot.
Cell phone footage of the incident shows high school student Seth Palumbo, the driver of the car officers pulled over, being thrown out of the vehicle by a deputy. Clips also show several deputies surrounding the car as one tackles Palumbo while the teammate sitting in the passenger’s seat films the interaction.
In one clip, authorities ask the teammate in the passenger’s seat to step out of the car before taking his phone and placing it facedown for the rest of the incident, Chron reported.
Videos of the incident spread across social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. The video posted to Twitter has gone viral, garnering over 1 million views and thousands of likes and retweets.
Breaking: Two high school students were violently dragged out of their car and arrested in Harris County, TX. They ran out of gas and called their friends for help, instead they were surrounded by police, arrested, and charged with a crime. pic.twitter.com/9rxe2lN7ZP
— Sarmad Faiz (@move2strike) April 12, 2023
Deputies arrested Palumbo and Willis and charged them with felony assault of a peace officer and a misdemeanor count of impeding a roadway, respectively, ABC 13 reported.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement regarding the incident:
“The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is aware of online videos about a recent arrest in west Harris County.
After reviewing the videos, we are investigating the incident to determine if any policies and procedures were violated.
One deputy has been temporarily reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.
We take these matters seriously and will ensure a thorough investigation is completed in a timely manner.
Our deputies are held to the highest standard of professionalism, and any employee whose conduct does not align with departmental policies will be held accountable for their actions.”
ABC 13 has communicated with Palumbo and his mother. However, because he’s facing a felony, the family’s lawyer recommended they don’t talk on camera.
