Recorded on cellphone video repeatedly punching an unarmed 14-year-old girl, a Texas police officer is currently under investigation for potential use of excessive force. Instead of de-escalating the situation, the officer instantly lost his temper and began beating a teenage girl for no apparent reason.
On Saturday night, San Antonio police officers responded to a call concerning two men fighting at a quinceañera outside the Crown Palace Event Center. After arriving at the scene, officers began questioning witnesses when a bystander recorded a cellphone video of a cop appearing to grab the mother of a 14-year-old girl.
“Don’t touch her like that,” the teenage daughter shouted before a San Antonio police officer punched her in the face several times.
Not appearing to fight back, the girl fell into a crowd of onlookers before another officer pulled her arms behind her back. With the teenage girl restrained, the officer punched her again in the head.
Arrested on a criminal charge of assaulting a public servant, the 14-year-old girl was detained at the Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center until Monday afternoon. Due to her status as a minor, the eighth grade student remains unidentified.
“The video made public showing a scuffle between police officers and a girl is hard to watch and to listen to,” San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor wrote in a recent statement. “SAPD is now reviewing body cam video to determine exactly what happened and Chief McManus is keeping me updated on the ongoing investigation. When I supported funding for body cameras it was for instances like this so that we can see exactly what happened and protect officers and citizens.”
The San Antonio Police Department has refused to release any body cam videos from that night and the name of the officer involved. According to Artessia House, an attorney representing the girl, her client is an honor roll student without a history of violence who clearly did not assault the officer.
On Monday night, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus stated, “Per SAPD policy, the events leading up to the arrest of the juvenile for assaulting a public official is being investigated to ensure compliance with Department policies.”
Although Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood has jurisdiction to prosecute the officer’s apparent use of excessive force, LaHood’s office remains silent on the matter. Instead of trusting the San Antonio Police Department to fairly investigate one of their officers, local activists are demanding an independent investigation into the needless beating of a teenage girl.
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