Watch the video as Phoenix Police officer Patrick Larrison uses what a former police officer calls “justifiable force” to “subdue” an intoxicated young woman who is walking away from him:
From the report by ABC News:
Phoenix Police are investigating the arrest of a 15-year-old girl who was seen on tape being slammed to the ground by the arresting officer.
Officer Patrick Larrison has been placed on administrative leave while police carry out both an internal and criminal investigation into the arrest.
A YouTube video captured the Jan. 25 arrest on camera, but police didn’t become aware of the video until this Tuesday. Someone in the police department saw the video and reported it.
Apparently the girl’s mother was pinning her to the ground in a parking lot after she was expelled from a Charter school for drinking. The girl struggled to get away from her mother, who nearly pulls the girl’s shirt off before the young woman pushes her mother off her. Shortly thereafter the Phoenix Police arrive. Here is a more complete version of the video beginning with the moment the mother has the girl pinned to the ground:
The young woman has been charged with aggravated assault of a school official, which allegedly occurred at the school earlier on the same day (I’m sorry there is no video of that incident). She is also charged with making threats to the officers, though I cannot see her making any threats on the video.
The incident occurred back in January but the video only recently came to light. The Phoenix police are now investigating Officer Larrison’s conduct:
The video was uploaded to YouTube on March 20, two months after the incident reportedly occurred. It did not come to police attention until Tuesday night, when a department employee spotted the video on the Internet and notified a supervisor, Crump said.
“It is surprising to us this incident was not brought forward to us (earlier),” he said, especially because there were numerous people on the scene, including staff members of the girl’s school and at least one other police officer.
Police will investigate whether other officers at the scene knew of the incident and whether they reported it accordingly, Crump said.
I love that last sentence: Police will investigate whether other officers at the scene knew of the incident and whether they reported it accordingly, Crump said.
It’s obvious to me that whether or not any other officer present reported this incident, it was only after the Youtube video came to light showing Larrison using the girl as a tackling dummy that the Phoenix Police were forced to address the matter. So, either none of the other officers reported Larrison’s use of excessive force or, if any of them did, that report was suppressed. Officer Larrison has now been suspended pending the results of the investigation. I’m not usually a betting man but I would bet that no criminal charges will be brought against the officer, though because of the publicity he may face some form of internal discipline. Maybe.
I guess the only good thing about this is that the girl wasn’t tasered after she was handcuffed, as some police officers have been known to do..
