A McKinney, Texas police officer has been suspended after a clip went viral showing him throwing a black bikini-clad teenager to the ground and chasing her friends with a gun. Police were called in because of “too many black teens” partying in the area.
A video filmed on June 5 and posted on YouTube by Brandon Brooks
has scored hundreds of thousands of views, causing a wave of
online outrage. It shows McKinney police officers forcing a group
of black teenagers dressed in sportswear and bathing suits to the
ground, and chasing those who do not comply with what look like
flashlights or Tasers. They also swear at the kids.
One particularly aggressive officer is seen dispersing a group of
girls, shouting “I don’t care, you’re leaving now.”
Moments later he is seen walking up to and detaining a black
female teen who is reluctant to leave immediately.
WARNING: VIOLENCE, GRAPHIC LANGUAGE
Then, all of a sudden, the cop throws the bikini-clad girl to the ground. When other girls run to the scene, he violently pushes them away before producing a gun and briefly chasing two of the black teens. He then returns to the girl, forces her face down, and sits on her back to handcuff her. The teenager repeatedly cries “Oh my momma, oh God!” and bursts into tears.
The officer has been identified by local media as Eric Casebolt, although the McKinney Police Department did not immediately disclose his name. The department, however, said that an officer had been placed on administrative leave following the incident. An investigation has also been launched.
“Several concerns about the conduct of one of the officers at
the scene have been raised,” local police Chief Greg Conley
told reporters on Sunday. He described the 14-year-old female as
having been “temporarily detained” and
then“ultimately released to her parents.”
Meanwhile, the reason for the police action, which involved a
dozen officers dispersing a party at the Craig Ranch North
Community Pool, has raised further questions. Police spokesperson
Sabrina Boston said police were called in due to “multiple
juveniles at the location, who do not live in the area or have
permission to be there, refusing to leave.”
According to Boston, officers “encountered a large crowd that
refused to comply with police commands” and were given
additional reinforcement.
Police have been accused of racial prejudice in the incident, as
officers appeared to be picky about which of the 70 teens of
different ethnicities they forcefully detained.
“Everyone who was getting put on the ground was black,
Mexican, Arabic,” said Brooks, who shot the footage, and is
white himself, according to inquisitr.com. “[The cop] didn’t
even look at me. It was kind of like I was invisible.”
Meanwhile, the father of the girl, Jahi Adisa Bakari, made a
public call on social media for Casebolt to be “fired
immediately.”
The father of the teenage girl in McKinney speaks. pic.twitter.com/YV7VZaJT2Y
— Tro'juan (Tro) (@Trojuan_) June 7, 2015