A video showing the assault of a minor by a San Antonio police officer went viral earlier this week.
According to a police report provided by the San Antonio Police Department, the unidentified minor was attending a Quinceañera where a fight between two men broke out. The men were allegedly fighting because one accused the other being inappropriate with a minor at the party, the Huffington Post reports.
Artessia “Tess” House, the minor’s lawyer, said the facility responsible for sponsoring the party shut it down. The police were then called and the minor, who was not involved in the initial confrontation, was arrested and charged with assaulting a public servant. Although what happened between the police officer and the minor is unclear, witnesses claim the girl did not hit the officer.
House claims the video shows the police officer punching the minor with a closed fist. The minor was held at the juvenile detention center over weekend and the charges are expected to be dropped. House also claims the minor’s mother was choked by one of the police officers off camera.
San Antonio Police Department Police Chief William McManus issued a statement:
“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.”
House said nothing merited the police officer’s use of force.
“When we talk about use of force, the force has to be proportional. That force does not seem that it would be proportional ― even if the child did hit him. Because she is a 14-year-old minor, she needs to be treated as a 14-year-old minor, not as an adult.”
This is a developing story.