When two officers suspected a young black boy was skipping school, they handcuffed him, pressed him to the hood of their car and pepper sprayed him in the face. The police department has responded by notifying the community that there will be a subsequent internal investigation concerning the incident.
In a video of the incident, the two police officers in Norfolk, Virginia, are seen holding the young man against their car and trying to search his pockets.
“You’re pulling me to the ground,” the teen yelled. “You’re pulling me down.”
When one passerby tried to calm the situation, one of the officers told him, “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Another bystander, an older black woman, stopped to tell the officers, “This is not how we handle [things]. That’s not how you talk to people.”
The teen pleaded with the officers to take the handcuffs off of his wrists. Instead, the two men push forward with their search and remove the young man’s shoes for inspection. When they finish, the boy is ushered into their patrol car, questioning why he has to get inside and yelling, “I can’t see.”
The Norfolk Police Department released the following statement concerning the incident:
“The Norfolk Police Department is investigating a video that is circulating on Facebook which shows two Norfolk Police Officers arresting a teenager in a parking lot. Around 12:50 p.m. Monday, October 8, 2018, two officers observed a teenager walking in the roadway in the 200 block of East 19th Street. The officers stopped the 16-year-old under the suspicion of truancy, not being in school during school hours. During the interaction between the teen and officers, one of the officers utilized OC Spray. The Office of Professional Standards is investigating the entire accident which includes the use of the OC Spray.”
According to the release, the young man was treated at the scene by paramedics before being released. Whether he will be charged for any crimes will be decided by the end of the investigation. The two officers will remain on duty, The Washington Post reports.
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