Video Claims To Show Lakeland Police Brutally Beat Black Teen, Put Knee On His Neck
A video being widely shared on social media claims to show officers with a Florida police department brutally beating a Black teenage boy.
The footage making the rounds on social media on Tuesday is just shy of a minute long and lacks any context.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump was among those who shared the video.
Calling it “DISTURBING CONTENT,” Crump posed the following question while reposting the footage: “What is happening here? Two police officers were involved in a physical altercation with a reported 16-year-old. We need more details from police on this encounter.”
In the brief clip, officers in full uniform can be repeatedly striking the boy. As one of the officers tries to fend off bystanders witnessing the police brutality, they both are shown grabbing the boy by his hair to forcefully yank him down toward the ground. That’s when the first officer punched the boy in his face as he was being restrained by his hair.
As the boy moved to defend himself from the brutality, the officer who was addressing the bystander turned to sucker-punch the boy in the face.
After landing a couple of punches to the boy’s face, the other officer moved back, grabbed his taser and fired it into the teen’s body. The teen fell to the ground and could be seen shaking in agony from the high-voltage electrical shock running through his body.
The officer who fired the taser then applied pressure with his knee to the teen’s neck while trying to handcuff him.
That’s where the video abruptly ends.
It was not immediately clear what led to the police violence.
Watch below. The video is graphic and violent in nature and should be viewed with extreme discretion.
DISTURBING CONTENT
What is happening here? Two police officers were involved in a physical altercation with a reported 16-year-old. We need more details from police on this encounter.
: FB/Tavi Williams pic.twitter.com/mGkkkgys6x
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 28, 2024
The footage was originally posted on Facebook, according to Crump.
Other users on X, formerly Twitter, posted the footage and called out the Lakeland Police Department by name.
”@LakelandPD finest punching & pulling the hair of a 16 year old boy !! This is where our tax money is going to weak men playing dress up ! heavy on the WEAK embarrassing af,” one X account said while posting the video.
“Yall allowed 2 Grown ass Sworn Officers To Jump a Kid,” another account wrote in a post that shared the video footage. “@LakelandPD @PolkCoSheriff dem folks going down about dat. And i really hope 1 of yall ever put yall hands on me. Ill die 100 times about me. Yall a muthafuckin Disgrace to the Mankind Yall Lucky da People of Polk County Aint My People. Just fuck wit me on dat type of time.”
A message seeking comment that was left for the Lakeland Police Department was not immediately returned.
This wouldn’t be the first time that the Lakeland Police Department has been alleged to have committed police brutality against a Black male.
Early last year, yet another viral video claimed to show Lakeland officers savagely beating a Black man who allegedly had had his hands up.
TW: Police Violence Lakeland PD, Lakeland FL, this you? pic.twitter.com/yBWKS1FwDA
— TizzyEnt (@TizzyEnt) January 18, 2023
In what could be a bit of foreshadowing from the latest incident, the Lakeland cops in the video that surfaced late last year were cleared of any wrongdoing.
This is America.
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