Indiana police said they were only looking out for the safety of a young Black girl after a cop was caught on video holding her face down on the ground with her hands behind her back as she cried out for her mother.
“I didn’t do nothing,” the girl repeatedly yelled as the cop held her down in the 38-second video that has gone viral on social media.
“Please call my mom!”
Witnesses say the girl, who is either 13 or 14 years old, had requested a refund because none of the workers were wearing hair nets, which is a violation of company policy to prevent hair from contaminating the food.
However, the police union that represents the South Bend Police Department issued a statement on Facebook, accusing critics of “gaslighting” the police department by criticizing them over the video – which came across as gaslighting to many of the commenters.
“This video is gaslighting at its finest,” read the statement posted on the South Bend FOP Lodge #36’s Facebook page. “Only 10 seconds of a several minute incident is shown. Nothing leading up to the incident or any video from inside the business. Just jumping straight to conclusions without any other tangible facts.”
“The juvenile at best is held down for control purposes to prevent injury.”
The police union statement also said the girl was not handcuffed or arrested and instead taken home to her guardian. However, the video shows the cop ordering her to “put your hands behind your back” while a random white citizen walks up to help him detain her.
Watch the video below.
And despite the union blasting citizens for criticizing the cop in the short video without knowing all the facts, South Bend police have not released body camera footage that would add more context to the incident.
In fact, it was only last week that the South Bend city council approved an increase in fees for obtaining body camera videos, increasing the rate for each video from less than $20 to up to $75, depending on how many hours it takes police to review the videos, according to the South Bend Tribune.
And the statement from the police union drew even more criticism from people on social media.
“How about instead you show some compassion towards our community instead of throwing accusations of gaslighting when the author of this post likely wasn’t on the scene nor are they involved with the investigation,” stated a man named Nathanial Long on the union’s Facebook post.
“This post doesn’t help build positive community relations, and frankly, won’t age well if the witness testimonies turn out to be true. Please do better.”
‘Slammed Her to the Ground’
The incident took place around 1 p.m. on Aug 15 at the McDonald’s in downtown South Bend after the restaurant manager called 911, accusing the girl of creating a disturbance.
South Bend police spokesperson Ashley O’Chap told local media that the girl had already left the McDonald’s by the time the officer arrived.
The video recorded by a witness begins after the cop had the girl face down on the ground. Witnesses say the name of the cop is “Caputa,” but there is no evidence of a cop with that name working for the South Bend Police Department.
The Elkhart Audit Facebook page, a policy accountability page based out of Elkhart, an Indiana city about 30 minutes away from South Bend, posted the video on its page Saturday, saying the cop slammed the girl to the ground before the video began recording.
Multiple reports from citizens say this happened near a McDonald’s in south bend. This girl simply asked for a refund because not ONE worker behind the counter there had on a hair net. Very calm, not loud, just stated her reason. The manager refused, and then calls 911 saying she was causing a disturbance. Maybe a little loud and agitated after manager called and falsely reported to police, but never caused a “scene”
Another gentleman talked her into letting it be, and taking her food and leaving. As she was leaving, she gets stopped a SBPD Officer Caputa. She doesn’t want to talk to him and trys to peacefully leave. The cop instantly grabbed by her backpack and slammed her to the ground where the video picks up.
Black Lives Matter South Bend posted the video on its Instagram page with the following description.
Such incidents highlight the troubling relationship between law enforcement and Black youth in our country, and call into question the accountability mechanisms meant to protect our most vulnerable residents.
This concern is compounded by the South Bend Common Council’s recently-passed ordinance restricting public access to police body camera footage, requiring exorbitant fees of up to $75 per request for each video.
Black Lives Matter South Bend categorically rejects the notion that the pursuit of transparency should be priced out of reach for everyday citizens. That the ordinance passed with the support of four Black council members only further underscores the urgent need for better representation
However, South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski issued a statement on Facebook that they will release the body camera footage but did not specify when they would so that nor did he say if he will charge for the video.
“SBPD is actively gathering further facts, evidence and video surrounding the incident and will release additional details, including the officer’s body camera footage, as soon as possible,” Ruszkowski said.
“As a reminder, SBPD has a multi-layered review process and will adhere to that review process.”
But the chief’s statement drew even more criticism from commenters, including the person who runs the Elkhart Audit Facebook page.
“We all know the South Bend Police Department could post the body cam footage RIGHT NOW if they had nothing to hide,” Elkhart Audit stated.
“Departments have shootings posted in no time when the officer did nothing wrong. Why not show us now if you have nothing to hide?”
In 2022, South Bend police officers faced backlash after shooting and killing a mentally ill man named Dante Kitrill.
Atlanta Black Star will update this story as new information and evidence is released.
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