"This is not a war, this is a 12-year-old kid!": Shocking video shows plainclothes NYPD officer punching child

In the video, at least ten officers can be seen restraining two boys

Published December 19, 2014 7:32PM (EST)

                          (<a href='http://www.istockphoto.com/profile/dominikherz'>dominikherz</a> via <a href='http://www.istockphoto.com/'>iStock</a>)
(dominikherz via iStock)

NYPD's department of Internal Affairs is investigating the circumstances surrounding the arrest captured in the video below. In the YouTube clip, two teenage boys are arrested when, seemingly out of nowhere, a plainclothes officer runs over and begins punching one of the teenagers several times.

In the video, a crowd of spectators shout at the cops to stop. "He's 12! I can't believe you just did that! After everything that's happened," one woman says, referencing the death of Eric Garner and resulting protests in New York and across the country.

Police said that the two suspects were arrested for assaulting a third person with a cane, according to the New York Daily News.

The YouTube video was posted on Dec. 17. Its description reads:

This happened today on my way to the post office. The kids were 12. They had supposedly pushed one of their classmates down. However, when the victim was asked, he said those weren't the guys. They were still taken away. 12. Years. Old.

While the exact ages of the arrested suspects have not been confirmed, an officer assaulting a teenager is disturbing. Equally disturbing, however, is the rapid escalation of the scene. At least ten officers (uniformed and plainclothes) can be seen trying to restrain two teenagers who are not resisting arrest. Is that a measured response?


By Joanna Rothkopf

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Brutality Crime Nypd Police Video Violence