Video Shows California Cop Pinning, Punching 14-Year-Old [View all]

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Video Shows California Cop Pinning, Punching 14-Year-Old

Sen. Kamala Harris said the clip shows a “horrific abuse of power” by the Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rancho-cordova-police-officer-beating-14-year-old-boy_n_5ea92878c5b6fb98a2b500e7

By Dominique Mosbergen

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The video, first posted to Twitter by a person who identified herself as the boy’s sister, shows a white officer hitting the boy, who is Black, as he attempts to detain him. The officer, who is much bigger than the teen, appears to strike the boy repeatedly with a closed fist, push his face into the ground and yank him roughly by the arm.

In a follow-up tweet, the Twitter user said the teen has “a serious heart condition that could be triggered very easily by being hit in his chest/back! He’s a kid and has never been in any kind of trouble with the law!”

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The Rancho Cordova Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said in a joint statement that the officer was responding to complaints of alcohol, tobacco and drug sales to minors on Monday when he “saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile.” The deputy was assigned to work with the police department under the city’s contract for police services.

The teen later admitted to KTXL-TV that he had asked a stranger to purchase tobacco for him and had it in his hand when the officer approached. He said he immediately handed over the cigar, but the cop became confrontational anyway.

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