By The Vanguard Staff
GLENDALE, CA – Four police officers here have been suspended after video shows them hitting and kicking a teenager accused of shoplifting inside a sporting goods store at a California mall this past week, according to KIRO7 TV.
Glendale police said officers responded to a report of shoplifting at the Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Glendale Galleria, KTLA reported, and admitted they used “force” on the teen to make the arrest, officials said in a release.
Video shows three plainclothes officers holding down the teen as they punch him multiple times, KCAL reported, noting another officer joined the fray and started kicking the suspect, who is defenseless on the ground, pinned by the other officers.
A shopper in the store who recorded the video was outraged by the officers’ actions, told KCAL, “The officer that wasn’t even there to begin with, that ran up on this situation, and as soon as he arrived, he just decided ‘I’m going to kick this kid in the face.’”
“An investigation into the incident, including all actions taken by the officers during the arrest process, was immediately initiated and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is being conducted,” the department said in a statement.
