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California Police Investigating Video Showing Deputy Punching A 14-Year-Old Boy
Senator Kamala Harris addressed the video on Twitter.
The Rancho Cordova Police Department and Sacramento County Sheriff's Office are investigating a viral video from Tuesday. The video shows a police officer violently subduing a teenage boy. In an attempt to put handcuffs on the boy, the officer strikes him in the face multiple times.
The video has drawn over seven million views. The original poster gave context on Twitter. "RCPD brutally tackled and hit my best friend's 14-year-old brother today over a swisher sweet," she wrote. "The officer had no reason to brutalize and traumatize this boy like this! He has a pre-existing health condition which could be fatal under this kind of stress! Unjustifiable!"
None— Brian Carpenter (@Brian Carpenter) 1588080729
The video takes place in Rancho Cordova, California. The city's police department gave a statement, saying the officer "saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile."
Kevin Mickelson, the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association president, says the deputy was unaware of the boy's age at the time. "Had that person complied with the officer's directives," Mickelson said, "we wouldn't be talking about this."
Senators Kamala Harris and Julian Castro posted the video to Twitter, expressing their dismay at the situation. "This is a horrific abuse of power," she wrote. "This officer must be held accountable."
Mickelson claims viewers shouldn't draw conclusions from such a brief video. "We're seeing about a minute of video of an incident that lasted maybe 10 minutes," he said. "We don't know what led up to this."
Stay tuned for further updates.
