A California schoolboy was beaten in the head by a deputy after he allegedly “assaulted” the officer. Footage of the deputy punching the 14-year-old in his head has gone viral, sparking outrage among social media users.
The violent encounter took place shortly after 4 p.m. in the 10100 block of Third Avenue in Hesperia on April 9. The scene of the incident is approximately a mile and a half west of Hesperia Junior High School.
According to a report, a deputy addressed a group of students and the teen, whose identity has not been released, was among them. USA Crime cited official statements from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department that said the deputy was dispatched to the scene following a report that a student had brought a gun to school.
When the deputy attempted to speak with some students allegedly in possession of the firearm, the teenage boy in question walked away, prompting the deputy to intervene directly, and the situation escalated.
In the statement, sheriff officials said, “When the deputy attempted to detain him, he physically assaulted the deputy, which led to a brief struggle and use of force occurred.”
The alleged assault was not captured in the viral video. The footage begins with the deputy yanking the teen towards him. The teen resists, causing a struggle between them, and the deputy forces him to the ground shortly after.
As the video continues, the deputy tries to force the teen’s head to the ground by pushing his face, in what appears to be an attempt to restrain him. However, the teen continued to resist, and when the struggle intensified, the officer is seen delivering four forceful punches to the teen’s head, followed by a blow to his stomach while shouting, “Put your f***ing hands behind your back!”
Bystanders remained silent until the deputy started to punch the teen. As onlookers became vocal in protesting the officer’s actions, the boy seemingly started to cry. After the flurry of punches, the deputy rolls the teenager onto his stomach and secures him with handcuffs. The deputy then starts making off with the teen and stops briefly to pick up what is identified in a report to be a green-handled knife.
Officials did not mention the knife, and there is no report of who had the knife. However, sheriff’s officials confirmed that no firearm was found at the scene. Following the incident, the teenager was arrested and is facing a charge of resisting an officer. He is being held at the Juvenile Detention and Assessment Center.
