Tamarac, FL — A Broward County deputy has been placed on administrative leave after a video has surfaced where he can be seen slamming a Black teenage boy’s head to the ground and punching him. The video, where police appear to have once again used unnecessary excessive force, has sparked outrage over the deputies’ actions.
Another deputy proceeded to jump onto the boy’s back and repeatedly slammed and punched his face to the ground. At that time, bystanders could be heard yelling “What are you doing?” and “He’s bleeding.”
According to an arrest report, Christopher Krickovich and other deputies were responding to a fight at the Tamarac Town Square Plaza when the incident happened. Though the fight stopped before deputies arrived, they saw a teen who was involved in a previous fight in the area.
While the deputies were trying to detain the teen for trespassing, another teenage boy in a red tank top allegedly approached them and took an aggressive stance. That is when another deputy, Sgt. LaCerra, reportedly pepper-sprayed the boy in a red tank top.
Krickovich continued saying that they were surrounded and outnumbered by about 200 students threatening them so he jumped on the boy in order to restrain him.
“I had to act quickly, fearing I would get struck or having a student potentially grab weapons off my belt or vest,” Krickovich wrote in the arrest report. He also justified punching the boy in the head by saying it was “a distractionary technique to free his right hand” from under his face.
In connection to the video, which has recently gone viral on social media, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony released a statement saying that there would be a “thorough investigation” into the incident and will review it “as a fact-finding measure to ensure that we find folks accountable.”
Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz’s office is also doing an investigation. He said in a statement, “Our prosecutors and investigators had already scheduled a meeting for Tuesday with the attorney for the 15-year-old student. The student’s family has hired a new attorney and we are arranging a meeting with the new lawyer as soon as they are available.”
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen called the deputies’ actions “outrageous and unacceptable.” He wrote in a tweet, “The officer who jumped the student, punched & banged his head should be fired. I have a problem with the deputy who threw him to the ground after he pepper sprayed him. He could’ve easily arrested him after the spray.”
Meanwhile, the 15-year old teenage boy, who has not been identified, was taken to the local hospital to treat his injuries before he was brought to the Juvenile Assessment Center. He was charged with assault, resisting arrest, and trespassing. He appeared in court the following day and was released to his parents.