A recently surfaced video has sparked outrage, showing Lakeland police officers punching a teenage boy and using a Taser on him. The incident occurred at the Caroline Apartments along Griffin Road on Memorial Day.
Officers were called to the apartment complex pool after reports of non-residents using the facilities. The complex manager asked the police to trespass anyone who didn’t live there. The 16-year-old boy did not provide an apartment number or identify himself when questioned by the police. He was verbally trespassed from the property and left to collect his belongings.
When asked to leave the property again, the teen reportedly put his hand in an officer’s face, though this was not captured on video. As an officer grabbed his arm, the boy allegedly “tensed his body” and tried to pull away.
Memorial Day Swimming Pool Trespass In Lakeland Ends In Violence, Police Vs. Teen#lakeland
Full story in the comments. pic.twitter.com/0LqYnCYA9R
— Tampa Free Press (@tampafreepress) May 28, 2024
Read: Tampa Bay Hidden Architectural Gem
The video shows the teen pressed against a wall as an officer repeatedly punches him in the head. Another officer grabs the boy’s hair while the first continues punching. The teen is seen swinging his arms in defense. Eventually, one officer uses a Taser, causing the teen to fall to the ground. The video ends before the boy is handcuffed.
The police report admits that officers used “several closed fist strikes” on the teen. The reporting officer mentioned being hit once in the face. Lakeland Police Chief Sammy Taylor has requested an administrative review of the incident.
The teen was taken to a hospital for evaluation and then to the Juvenile Assessment Center. He faces charges of trespassing, failure to leave the property, battery on a law enforcement officer, and resisting an officer with violence.
