A California police officer is under investigation after a video surfaced of him pinning a juvenile to the ground and punching him in the chest, BuzzFeed reports. Now, the teen is speaking out. 

Video of the Monday incident, which was posted to social media on Tuesday and has been widely shared since, shows a white male police officer using force to detain 14-year-old Elijah Tufono. He is seen sitting on top of the child and pinning his head to the ground, then repeatedly punching him in the chest. He then grabs the boy, turns him onto his stomach and slams him into the sidewalk. 

“I’m a 14-year-old bro,” Elijah said to the officer.

“Alright, stop fighting,” the officer replied. “Put your f**king hand down.”

“I wasn’t fighting,” he says as the officer is talking through his radio while still holding him down.

A person behind the camera urges the child to comply with the officer and stop resisting arrest.

“Stop bro, stop,” the person is heard saying.

The officer had been surveilling the area following complaints regarding sales of alcohol, drugs and tobacco to minors, according to a statement released by the Rancho Cordova Police Department on Tuesday. He then saw what he believed to be an exchange between the 14-year-old and an adult.

"As the deputy turned around, he lost sight of the adult, who left the area," spokesperson Sgt. Tess Deterding said in a statement. "When the deputy approached the juvenile, the juvenile was uncooperative and refused to give the deputy basic identifying information."

According to the statement, the juvenile told the officer he was 18 years old. The officer claimed he had “reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was occurring,” so he detained the boy.

"The juvenile became physically resistive at that time, causing the deputy to lose control of his handcuffs, which landed several feet away," the statement read. "The deputy attempted to maintain control of the juvenile without his handcuffs and while alone waiting for his partners to arrive and assist him."

In an interview with Fox40, the 14-year-old recounted the incident and said both he and the cop were in the wrong. 

“He’s on top of me and it looks like he’s about to hit me. Like, I’m reacting like any other normal human being would,” he told the outlet. “It could’ve been better on both of our parts in this situation.”

Elijah also said when the officer asked what was in his hand, he surrendered the cigar. 

"As soon as he asked me that, I just gave it to him,” he said.

He then goes on to say he wasn't cooperative with the officer but that didn't justify his brutality. 

“I did lie to him and I didn’t cooperate, and I know that and I made that mistake. But that didn’t give him no right to do what he did,” he continued. 


Elijah then said he has actually forgiven the officer.  

“I mean, I do forgive him. I have nothing against the cop. He was just doing his job, I guess,” Elijah continued. “Sir, I’m sorry for the way that I acted towards you and for not cooperating. And I just hope that we could meet again and be on better terms." 

The boy's uncle, whom the outlet also interviewed, explained his reaction to the video, noting the teen has a heart condition. 

“It just kind of broke my heart. Anger and frustration went to sadness, especially the fact that he has a heart condition. And that’s the immediate thing that got to me,” Justin Tufono said. “I’m just so happy that he was able to come home alive.” 

Criminal defense lawyer Rebecca Kavanagh said Elijah's family is calling for the firing of the officer and is looking to bring charges against him, reports Complex. 

"It’s important to put video footage into context, especially in relation to a use of force incident," Deterding said.

Authorities have said the incident is under review. 

"This type of situation is hard on everyone — the young man, who resisted arrest, and the officer, who would much rather have him cooperate," Deterding said.

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