New York – Four New York City police officers have been stripped of their guns and badges after a video surfaced of them striking and kicking a suspect.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
The internal affairs department is investigating, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday. The officers are on desk duty in the meantime, he said.
The shaky amateur footage was posted anonymously Saturday on the website WorldStarHipHop and titled “These Cops In The Bronx, NY Are Out Of Control!”
The video shows 19-year-old Jatiek Reed appearing to resist arrest by throwing a couple of kicks and swats at a group of officers. Then it shows him being struck with police batons and kicked. His arms and legs flail. One officer holds him down.
The footage also shows one of the officers turning and pointing chemical spray directly at the videographer, who then flees.
Reed was arrested on assault charges. His mother told the New York Post he required staples in his head and arm.
Kelly called the video is troubling and said the department is fully investigating.
May have gone a bit overboard. There may have been some unnecessary hits but it’s hard to judge without seeing what happened before and difficult to tell if the arrestee resisted throughout. The hits don’t look full force but they are using batons so who knows.