A viral video of police in #Florida violently restraining a 14-year-old girl who cops claim was resisting arrest has caused widespread outrage.
In the video, which was recorded by a bystander, the girl is seen face down and lying on her belly on the ground while being held down by one officer and being punched in the side by another uniformed cop, according to @miamiherald.
The incident took place Thursday at the #CoralSquareMall in #CoralSprings. The cops involved are being called out for their actions, with critics saying the incident is a clear example of police brutality, but the #CoralSpringPoliceDepartment actually responded to the video with a #Facebook post, saying that the video does not tell the whole story and that the girl was allegedly acting aggressively.
“As with all social media posts, it shows only the end of the story, not the incident in its entirety which led up to the arrest,” reads the statement, which goes on to explain what allegedly happened before the video was taken.
“Officers were called to the mall by security about unruly teens, who had been harassing patrons and causing a disturbance. Upon meeting with security, an officer was stopped by a mother, who indicated her 5-year old child was shoved to the ground by one of the teens.”
The post says that the girl seen in the video was seen striking another teen patron and that security asked that Coral Springs officers issue a trespass warning and bar the teens from the mall, which they did.
Before the officers left, they got another call about a separate incident. The teens who had been barred had allegedly returned to the mall. After one of the teens was taken into custody, the female teen seen in the video began cursing, “attempting to incite the other teens.”
Police said they attempted to take her into custody, at which time they said she began to “fight and resist arrest.”
To get her to comply, police said the teen “was struck in the side to release her clenched fists.” After she was handcuffed, and being placed in the patrol car, she allegedly “violently kicked one of the officers.”
The girl was taken to the police department, identified and then taken to a juvenile hall facility.
“The Coral Springs Police Department believes in transparency,” the department said in a separate statement. “It is important for people to have all the facts before rushing to judgement of an officer’s actions when faced with calls for service involving violent suspects — regardless of their age or gender.”
We’ll keep you updated on the latest, #Roommates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
