Monday, November 18, 2013

Were Police Too Rough With Alleged Teen Thief?


 
Mom of Alleged Teen Shoplifter Accuses Police of Brutality
By George Spencer and NBC10.com Staff Monday, Nov 18, 2013  |  Updated 12:20 PM EST
 

 

 
Editor's Note: A warning that this story contains graphic images.
The mother of a 14-year-old boy who was arrested for shoplifting is accusing police of roughing him up.
 
"The picture speaks a thousand words," says Marissa Sargeant, who shared several graphic photos with NBC10 that shows her son bruised, cut and swollen.
The teen was arrested by Tullytown Police for retail theft at Walmart on Tuesday night, along an adult relative. "What he did was wrong. He was coerced by a 19-year-old. He does know better," said Sargeant.
The teen and his 19-year-old cousin Jordan Gibson were both positively identified by Wal-Mart Asset Protection.
Authorities say after the teen's arrest, and before he was loaded into a police car, he took off running along Route 13 while handcuffed.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   TheBucks County District Attorney tells NBC10 that police officers yelled warnings at the teen and fearing for his safety, they fired a stun gun to subdue him. The D.A. says the Taser struck the boy in the face and with his hands cuffed, the boy had no way to brace himself against falling face-first.
"That doesn't sound right. There's no way, if he was running from behind, that he would get hit with a taser in the front of his face," said Sargeant.
Sargeant says the officers must have hit or kicked her son, and then told him not to tell anyone. The boy was taken directly to the hospital for treatment.
Police aren't offering up anymore information because of the family's threat of a lawsuit.
"I just want some justice. I even pray for the police officers because they need help," said Sargeant.
The District Attorney tells NBC10 his office has reviewed the case and will only do its own investigation if they are asked.

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