Mesa Police Dept.(MESA, Arizona) — Two more Mesa, Arizona, police officers have been placed on administrative leave following the release of bodycam footage showing a violent arrest.
Video released on Thursday that showed a 15-year-old suspect being taken into custody included officers kicking the teen and screaming expletive-laced insults at him.
“On May 17, 2018, officers were investigating an armed robbery and located a 15-year-old suspect, who was arrested and subsequently charged with multiple counts including armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,” the MPD said in a statement released Thursday. “After a review of body worn camera footage, an internal investigation was initiated, two of the officers were placed on administrative leave.”
Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista has scheduled a press conference for 5:45 p.m. local time today to discuss this latest incident.
Five other Mesa cops had just been placed on administrative because of their actions seen in a video from a May 23 incident where a man was beaten while standing against a wall. Originally, only four officers were placed on leave.
Batista, after that incident, told ABC affiliate KNXV: “This in no way represents the whole work that is done every day. They’re human beings, and certainly at first glance this looks like a mistake.”
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