Miami Officer Relieved Of Duty After Video Shows Alleged Police Brutality

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The City of Miami Police Department said they have relieved an officer of duty after a video was circulated on social media showing alleged police brutality.

The video starts off with a man being arrested by Miami Police in Liberty Square. The handcuffed suspect is then taken to a squad car and seated. A few seconds later, an officer turns to the suspect and appears to punch him repeatedly.

"I don't want to pre-judge an investigation because as a commander, a major, that would be unfair to the officer. He is allowed due process as any person is. But what we saw in that video raised eyebrows enough that we launched an investigation and took away his police powers," said Miami Police Maj. Delrish Moss.

Authorities have not released the name of the officer. The supervisors of the officer in question were surprised to see him do this because they say he's a community-oriented guy who is very friendly.

Police did not release the name of man being arrested, only saying he remains in police custody.

The Fraternal Order of Police released a statement in response to the incident. It read, in part:

"While the video may seem concerning to some, the FOP is confident that when everything is analyzed within the totality of the circumstances, it will be concluded that the police officer was doing what he is supposed to be doing: Protecting our community."

The FOP also said that social media has begun to cast a negative light on law enforcement nationwide.

They also said they were concerned with the photos found on the Facebook page of the person who posted the video.

"What is extremely concerning is that the poster of this video has photographs of her with young men armed with handguns," the statement read. "Our community has accepted behavior that motivates violence in our younger generation. It's time for the community to take a stand against this reckless behavior and stop the violence."

Late Thursday night, the FOP said people were using social media to make threats towards law enforcement.

A screenshot of a post the FOP sent out to the media showing the alleged threats read:

"Y'all killing each other (expletive) that load that choppa and let it rip on the Miami Police Station."

The statement was followed by three gun symbols.