Video Captures Deputy In Texas Punching Teen Who Had Been Riding ATV
HARRIS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) — A Texas deputy is on desk duty after video surfaced of him punching a teenager outside a convenience store.
The incident took place on March 26 when a high school sophomore living in Harris County was riding his ATV with friends. The teen has a camera mounted on the back of his ATV, which captured the entire ride and how it ended.
As the teens approached a gas station to fuel up, they saw a Harris County Sheriff's deputy, who has a frequent presence at the location.
The video shows the deputy, with a drink in his hand, walk out of the gas station and approach the teenager. He then puts his drink down on the boy's ATV and asks to see his license.
"He just looked at my ID for like two seconds and said to put my hands behind my back," the teen said. "That's when I panicked a little and pulled away from him and he grabbed me."
As the deputy grabbed the teen, he is heard screaming and cursing on video.
"Don't run from me boy, I will beat your (expletive) right here," the deputy said. "Turn around and put your hands behind your back before I beat the (expletive) out of you. Don't be (expletive) stupid!"
Video then shows the deputy punching the teen in the face and putting him on the ground. The boy is then handcuffed and taken to the deputy's patrol vehicle.
The teen said he was taken to a location where authorities took his fingerprints and later released him to his parents. Officials charged the boy with evading arrest.
Before the punch, video appears to show the deputy accusing the teen of running away from him on a different occasion.
The teenager said he and his friends know their ATVs are not road legal and may have tried to drive away from a deputy at a previous occasion, but said he doesn't remember ever meeting the deputy.
"I just don't think I should be treated in that manner for riding on the street," he said. "A lot of 16-year-olds got ATVs ... (they) want to have fun with their friends."
The Harris County Sheriff's Department said it has begun an internal affairs investigation. The deputy has not been identified.
