Philadelphia police say they’re aware of the video and that it is being investigated by the Internal Affairs Division.
By Keith Jones and David Chang
A Philadelphia police officer is seen on video repeatedly punching a teenager during a large street brawl in the southwest section of the city Monday afternoon has been put on administrative duty until an investigation is complete.
The female officer, who has not been identified, admitted to punching the 16-year-old girl after the teenager allegedly slapped the officer in the face, police said Tuesday. The teen could also be seen on two videos posted to social media yelling at and grabbing the officer by the arms before the officer eventually took her to the ground.
The female officer, who has not been identified, admitted to punching the 16-year-old girl after the teenager allegedly slapped the officer in the face, police said Tuesday. The teen could also be seen on two videos posted to social media yelling at and grabbing the officer by the arms before the officer eventually took her to the ground.
Video of Officer Punching Teen Girl Sparks Investigation
The teenager allegedly admitted to slapping the officer during interviews with detectives after the fight. She was released in the hours after the fight and police have recommended to the District Attorney that the girl is charged with assault of an officer and disorderly conduct, a police spokesman said.
As many as 30 people were involved in a street fight at 54th Street and Springfield Avenue about 3:30 p.m., police said. Family members of some of the brawlers called police from a nearby house, according to one witness, Takeema Bundy.
As responding officers attempted to break up the fight, two videos posted to social media showed the fighting.
A video posted on Instagram first pans across the street, capturing the scope of a mass melee. Within a few moments, the video focuses in on a female police officer who is pushing a teen girl away from the center of the fracas.
The teenager yells at the officer then begins to shove the officer and grabs the officer’s arms. For about a second, the video moves away, but when it returns to the officer and teenager, the officer is seen throwing the teen girl to the ground.
The officer then straddles the teen and repeatedly punches the teen as the teen swings back. The officer then pulls the teen girl up by her hair as other brawlers swarm around the two and another officer comes into the frame. The video then ends.
“They threw me against the car and they slammed her on the ground,” the teen’s legal guardian, who did not want to be identified, told NBC10.