Activists allege police brutality after video shows Lakeland police hitting, tasing 16-year-old
LAKELAND, Fla. - The Lakeland Police Department is reviewing an arrest made by two of its officers. It involves a 16-year-old and the video appears to show one officer punching him in the head and another using a taser.
Community activists are calling this an act of police brutality. The confrontation between the officers and the teen started at a Memorial Day pool party, where the teen is accused of trespassing.
Now, community leaders are calling for criminal charges against the officers and said they aren’t surprised by this latest incident involving Lakeland police.
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"This place is one of the most dangerous places in Polk County," said Pastor Clayton Cowart with the Poor Minority Justice Association. "This is police brutality in every way and I think this is child abuse."
On Monday, police were called to a pool party at an apartment complex. Some of the teens were accused of trespassing.
In the video circulating on social media, you can see two officers punch and hit the teen multiple times. At one point, an officer grabs the teen by his hair, before another tases the 16-year-old.
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"He’s traumatized, his mother is traumatized, the other kids that were there are traumatized," said Cowart.
The teen was charged with trespassing, battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest.
According to the arrest affidavit, the officer said the 16-year-old was uncooperative and punched the officer in the face.
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Lakeland PD said that Chief Sam Taylor has been informed of the incident, has met with community leaders about it and has already requested an administrative review by the Office of Professional Standards.
"I don’t believe that there is going to be any video that shows the young man struck the officer first. What I will say is this, where was his de-escalation tactics?" said Cowart.
FOX 13 requested the body cam footage, but at this time it is not being released. Some activists are questioning whether it will be.
"Lakeland has this culture of not playing the video, so let's see if we have the video first," said Cowart.
Some community leaders will meet with the police chief later this week. Cowart said there is a protest planned for Saturday outside the Lakeland Police Department at 6 p.m.
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