A police officer in California is currently suffering the wrath of the Internet after footage surfaced that shows him scuffling, and eventually punching, a black 16-year-old boy.
Emilio Mayfield claims he was waiting for a bus to go to school Tuesday morning when he was confronted by a police officer.
“Our officer, for safety reasons, went over to tell the person to get out of the lane and go to the sidewalk,” police spokesman Joe Silva told KOVR. “The kid started to use obscene language at the officer and said ‘I don’t have to listen to you’ and refused to get out of the lane.”
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That’s about the same time an unidentified witness began recording the incident with a cell phone. The footage, that has since gone viral, shows the pair in an apparent tug-of-war over the officer’s baton. Holding the teen against a large flower planter, the officer in question threw at least two punches and connected with at least one of those — causing Mayfield to cover the area around his left eye.
Silva said the aggressive move is called a “weapon retention technique.”
“It’s a kid,” a woman could be heard screaming in the background. “Get the [expletive] off him. It’s a [expletive] kid. It’s a [expletive] kid. You’re a [expletive] adult. What’s wrong with you?”
Eventually four officers combined to take Mayfield to the ground.
His family has since gotten their local NAACP chapter involved. It is accusing the policeman of using unnecessary force.
“I see myself as a great young man, successful in school,” Mayfield told the CBS affiliate. “I feel traumatized. I was beaten and slammed on the floor.”
The teenager was detained temporarily and received a citation.
“He was cited and released to his mother for Stockton Municipal Code Violations and Resisting Arrest,” a police statement read.
A protest was held Thursday at the bus depot to show support for Mayfield.
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