A video of a violent arrest in Ocean City, Maryland is going viral showing police officers tasing, kicking and apprehending a group of teenagers for allegedly vaping near the city’s boardwalk. According to CBS Baltimore, the incident occurred on Saturday (June 12) around 8:30 pm local time.
One video shared on Twitter showed a teenager with his hands up while police yelled, “Get on the ground!” As soon as he began to remove his backpack as officers instructed him to do, a cop shot him in the torso with a taser. A crowd gathered around the scene yelling, “Stop!” and, “He didn’t do anything!” The teen collapsed to the ground and was hogtied and carried off by police.
Another video, broadcast by CBS, showed a group of officers kicking and kneeing a teenager who was on the ground. The cops can be heard telling the boy not to resist, while he says he isn’t resisting and asks why he is being arrested.
Social media users have said the teen who was tasered by police is 17 years old. However, CBS reports that all the boys are either 18 or 19 years old. They were identified by the news source as Brian Anderson, Kamere Day, Jahtique Joseph John Lewis and Khalil Dwayne Warren.
Police say they saw the group vaping and told them they weren’t allowed to use the smoking devices in the prohibited area. As the teenagers walked away, cops claim one of them continued smoking and they pursued the group.
Authorities say Anderson refused to show identification and became “disorderly.” He was later charged with disorderly conduct, resistance and interference with arrest, second-degree assault and failure to provide proof of identity. Cops say Day then began yelling profanities and he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing and hindering, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, resistance and interference with arrest and second-degree assault.
Police claim that John Lewis pushed a Public Safety Aide officer in the chest and attempted to use a police bicycle against them. He was charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, obstructing and hindering, second-degree assault and resistance and interference with arrest.
Warren is accused of standing on private property next to a No Trespassing sign. He was charged with trespassing posted property, resistance and interference with arrest. All four teenagers were seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner and released.
The Ocean City Police Department released a statement in response to the videos on social media, which have resulted in residents calling for disciplinary action against the cops.
“We are aware of the social media videos circulating regarding this incident. Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance,” it read. “All uses of force go through a detailed review process. The uses of force from these arrests will go through a multi-level examination by the Assistant Patrol Commander, the Division Commander and then by the Office of Professional Standards.”
See graphic videos from the arrest on social media and YouTube below.