ALBION (WWJ/AP) - A police officer in southern Michigan has been fired after body camera video showed him striking a handcuffed 13-year-old boy in the back of a patrol car.
Albion police say the officer, whose name hasn't been released, violated departmental policies and was fired in February.
The teen's grandparents called police on Nov. 24 of this year, saying the boy had threatened them with a pen.
In body cam footage obtained by MLive and other media outlets, an officer is heard telling the teen:"I've got several other people telling me you went after her," while the boy continues to insist he did nothing wrong.
The cuffed teen says "officer, please help," as he tries to ger out of the patrol car. An officer orders him again and again to stay in the vehicle while the teen screams and struggles to get out, saying at one point: "I need to eat dinner." Eventually the officer hits the teen.
Pepper spray also was used, according to a police report, which states that the teen has the mental maturity of a 7-year-old.
WXMI-TV reports that a rally protesting alleged police brutality in the case was held Thursday in an Albion, about 95 miles west of Detroit.
The officer involved had been to the home before, and officials say he knew about the boy's condition.
The teen's mother told the TV station she feels devastated and angry about what occurred. “Almost betrayed, they had a rapport," she said. "He knew his condition.”
No criminal charges have been filed.