A California police department has issued an apology after a Black teen was forcibly thrown on the ground during an arrest—and it was all caught on camera.
The video—which quickly went viral on social media—showed Rialto police officers kneeling on a teenage girl and holding her neck with their hands. The Rialto Police Department made a statement on the Feb. 11 incident on Tuesday, saying the teenage girl had refused to identify herself after being stopped for “riding an illegal street pocket bike and traveling at an unsafe speed on a residential street.”
“Because officers could not prove her identity, or release the juvenile to her parents with a citation to appear in juvenile court, she was arrested,” the statement continued.
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After viewing body-camera footage, Police Chief Mark Kling claimed that the girl appeared to have resisted arrest but also said that the department was looking into the “officer’s decision to trip the juvenile to the ground” and put his hand on her throat during the arrest. The teen was later released to her family at a detention center.
“I have requested an independent investigation by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigations to determine if the officer’s use of force options were lawful,” Rialto’s spokesperson, Adán Ortega, said in the statement. “I have also ordered an internal affairs investigation into the officer’s actions. Our investigation will determine if department policies, rules or procedures were violated. Per department directives, confirmed violations of policy will lead to disciplinary action.
“The officer, whose identity is being withheld due to the ongoing investigations, has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is appropriate under these circumstances,” the statement said.
In a video posted on Instagram by @sanbernaghetto, two cops are seen pulling a Black girl’s arms after they stopped her with a bike. The girl turns in the direction of the person filming, and when she says she wants to get her brother, one of the male cops nudges her and throws her on the ground. Both of the cops hold the girl down, with the one who threw her down pinning her with his knees.
“Did you just try to fight me?” he repeatedly yells. He attempts to readjust himself while pinning the girl.
The girl continuously yells for her brother, and the camera then shifts to show the police officers arresting her and putting her in the back of their police cruiser. While she’s sitting in the backseat, one of the officers aggressively holds her down after a bystander walks up to the scene. The other officer seemingly motions for the man to stand back.
Social media users were outraged by the officers, accusing them of abusing their power and using excessive force on a young girl who appeared to be frightened by the situation.
“Wouldn't happen if she was a white teenager!” a Twitter user posted in response to the video.
“You don’t escalate it by creating a dangerous situation by slamming a child to the ground, scarring her for life,” another person wrote.
“SHE IS A CHILD,” a user posted when the video was shared on TikTok. “They should have never handled her like that no matter what the case is.”
The Rialto police statement concluded with an apology from the police chief.
“We apologize to the juvenile’s family regarding these unfortunate circumstances,” Chief Kling said.” At a time when our police department strives to build community relationships, we certainly fell short in this encounter. We look forward to building rapport with this family now and in the future.”
