A police sergeant in New York was suspended from his job after he was seen initiating a violent confrontation in which he grabbed a teenager by the neck and slammed him against a window.
Surveillance footage shows the Aug. 3 encounter between the cop, who authorities have not identified, and the 17-year-old Andrew Garcias outside a bodega in Haverstraw, New York.
The video shows several people walking and hanging out on the sidewalk shortly after the town’s United Latin Festival and Parade. The sergeant and his partner were seen patrolling the area.
According to local news outlets, police told the crowd to clear out of the area after the day’s festivities ended in the northern suburb of New York City.
When Garcia asked the sergeant why people needed to disperse, the cop approached the teen, grabbed him by the neck, and slammed him into a store window.
According to a witness who saw the altercation up close, the sergeant was reportedly triggered by what the teen said to him.
“The kid told him straight up, ‘You’re not my father,’ and the cop lost it and basically did what he did,” the witness, Jean Poulard, told CBS News.
Several cops are then seen surrounding the teen, restraining him, and appearing to search him. Authorities say that the heavy response was due to some confusion over whether the teen had the reported weapon.
“One of the officers’ clips came out of his holster, fell on the ground. With that, another officer yelled, ‘Gun,’” Phillips said.
The sergeant was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after the incident. An active investigation into the incident is underway.
“The actions he took were completely inappropriate,” Town Supervisor Howard T. Phillips said.
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Phillips said police made dozens of arrests that night at the site of the parade, many for disorderly conduct. Authorities say 59 people were arrested, including the 17-year-old whom the sergeant choked.
“It was a blur. I didn’t expect him to strangle me like that,” Garcia told News 12, adding that the experience left him shaken. “Last night I kept on rewatching the video and I cried to it. I was traumatized.”
The teen, who was charged with disorderly conduct, said that he had visited the bodega after learning that a friend was arrested there.
More surveillance footage showing the scene just 15 minutes before the choking incident reportedly captures police taking a man to the ground by police and punching him in the ribs. It’s unclear what led to that arrest.
Some residents believe the officers went too far and should apologize. They also said the sergeant needs to be retrained.
“There’s a difference between doing your job and excessive force. I think they take it too far,” said Robert Vasquez.
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