You may have come across the viral video of a Black teen being captured by Sheriff’s deputies in Florida right before they slammed his head to the ground and punched him. Well, both those police officers are now facing criminal charges because of the cell phone footage.
The Viral Footage
The viral footage from a cell phone portrays 2 sheriff’s deputies violently apprehending a 15 year-old in a McDonald’s parking lot. Once they blasted him with pepper spray, they slammed the Black teen’s head onto the pavement a couple of times and punched him in the head before placing him in handcuffs.
This video, posted by J.P. Taravella High School students in Tamarac, went viral quite soon and Twitter imploded with trending hashtags such as #JusticeForLucca. This was the very reason which prompted for the investigation into the incident to be launched by the Sheriff.
What Caused the Reaction
According to people who were present at the scene, Lucca had simply picked up the mobile that was dropped by another Black teen who was being arrested in McDonald’s parking. When the deputies saw this happening, they brutally beat him, pepper-sprayed him, and finally arrested him. Luca, however, hadn’t broken any laws whatsoever.
According to the Sheriff’s Department
The sheriff’s department had arrived at the parking lot in response to a call that complained about a fight that had occurred earlier involving about 200 students. As some of the Black teens were being apprehended, this 15-year-old innocent bystander simply bent down to pick up the mobile phone that had been dropped by another.
One of the deputies named Gregory LaCerra had issued a statement saying that he had ordered the Black Teen to stand back but instead he had taken an aggressive stance. He even added that the boy had bladed his body and had clenched his fists.
Charges
LaCerra, who is 51, has been charged with 2 counts of battery because he pepper-sprayed the teen in his face and bashed his face into the ground. Christopher Krickovich was the other deputy on the scene and had been placed on restrictive duty. He was also charged with the same sentence because he punched the child in the head with his fists.
