Florida Police Repeatedly Punch a Pinned-Down Teen Girl in Viral Video
A Florida police department is drawing criticism after a viral video surfaced of officers punching a 14-year-old black girl as she was pinned to the ground with her hands under her stomach. The video, shared on Instagram, shows two Coral Springs, Florida, police attempting to arrest the girl while one punches her twice in the ribs. The girl hasn't been identified, but her mother, Jessica Dennis, spoke to the local CBS affiliate:
“He went completely overboard. It was unnecessary,” said Dennis. “Her hands are pinned up, he’s fish tailing her whole body with her shorts, it was just too much going on and she clearly wasn’t aggressive,” the mother said.
Her attorney would only speak about the moments captured on video and shared on Instagram. “I’m not going to comment on the criminal aspect of the case,” said attorney Meeghan Moldof, “But to say that the police officer was justified to punch her continuously while he has his knee on her back and her hands under her belly, it speaks for itself,” she said.
For their part, the Coral Shores Police Department says that the video shows a small part of the story. Local mall security reportedly called the police because a group of teens was being loud and unruly, and after officers asked them to disperse, they returned. One boy was allegedly arrested without incident, but police claim the girl in the video was aggressive and violent. Per local news:
A statement issued by Coral Springs Police reads, “Officers attempted to take her into custody, at which time she began to fight and resist arrest. Due to her stature and aggressive behavior, officers took her to the ground attempting to get her to release her fists. As seen in the video, she resisted arrest, and in order to have her comply, she was struck in the side to release her clenched fists.”
“What you see on video is the officer delivering some strikes, distraction strikes to an area where she has her hands concealed underneath her,” said McKeone. “The officers don’t know what she may have in her possession. That’s a concern.”
It's not clear whether or not there will be an investigation into the officer involved, but as we've seen before, whether it's justified or not, there's an incredibly high bar for proving that an officer acted inappropriately.
