Lakeland Won't Yet Release Bodycam Footage of Teenager's Viral Arrest

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 4 minutes read

Despite calls for transparency, Lakeland officials have refused to release body camera footage of a viral arrest of a 16-year-old.

Terry Coney, president of the Lakeland NAACP branch, asked Lakeland commissioners to consider releasing full-body camera footage of two Lakeland Police Department officers who appear to repeatedly punch a 16-year-old black teenager years old in a viral video.

“All I'm asking, and all the community is asking, is to be as transparent as possible,” he said during Monday morning's commission meeting.

Coney said he has received several phone calls and countless text messages since a video went viral last week. The NAACP president reviewed the video less than 24 hours after it was posted and said he had conversations about it with Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor and Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz.

“I appreciate your comments and their tone,” Mutz said Monday. “Our aim is to give time to the internal investigation which pays tribute to those who [police officers’] rights and we will make a statement in the city as soon as this is done. Until then, we want to follow due process. »

What has happened so far?

The Lakeland Police Department responded to a call on Memorial Day reporting there were several people in the pool area at the Caroline Apartments, 1906 Griffin Road, who did not live at the apartment complex. When officers arrived, they said a 16-year-old boy refused to give his apartment number and officers verbally escorted him off the property.

Officers said the 16-year-old boy continued to ignore repeated warnings to leave the property, stating “I don't need to talk to you,” according to a police affidavit.

The 29-second video from a bystander was posted May 28 on Facebook, showing the boy standing in the corner of the room with two officers in front and next to him. One of the officers can be seen repeatedly punching the teen in the upper torso and head area as the boy's arms flailed. The officer standing closest to the camera can be seen grabbing the teen, who is bent over, by the hair after 7 seconds.

One of the Lakeland officers takes a step forward about 15 seconds into the video, walks back and appears to punch the teen in the face while the other remains a short distance away with a Taser pointed at his chest of the adolescent.

The teen responds by raising both arms, open palm striking the officer as he steps back, then lowering his arms, appearing to shield his face and chest after 17 seconds. The same officer steps forward and appears to punch the teen's head and face 18 seconds in before the sound indicates a Taser has been deployed.

Following the viral video, Taylor requested an administrative review of the arrest. The police chief declined to speak with The Ledger, citing his inability to talk about an ongoing investigation.

Black Lives Matter Restoration Polk Inc., the Poor and Minority Justice Association and others have called for a rally Saturday outside the police department's headquarters on North Massachusetts Avenue.

“We are here and we are going to fight for justice, in protest,” Pastor Clayton Cowart, leader of the Poor and Minority Justice Association, said in a Facebook video. “We are here, united, to demand change.”

Tensions, questions raised by recent events

Recent events between the Lakeland Police Department and the community have increased tension surrounding the 16-year-old's arrest.

A little over a week before the video was released, the 10th Judicial Circuit Attorney's Office dropped all charges against Antwan Glover. Glover, 37, faced three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer and one count of resisting arrest with violence.

The Lakeland Police Department's Street Crimes Unit stopped Glover on December 18, 2022 on West Ninth Street for not wearing a seat belt, and officers later saw marijuana inside his car , according to an arrest affidavit. Officers eventually removed Glover from the vehicle and forced him onto the street before handcuffing him.

Two videos of Glover's arrest, later posted online, showed a police officer punching Glover in the head and upper torso while Glover's hands, palms open, appeared to be held by his face.

The State Attorney's Office determined in July 2023 that the four officers Glover arrested would not face criminal charges, stating that the partial video circulating was “a misleading representation of the entire incident “.

Prosecutor Brian Haas made clear in the July letter that Glover's own actions justified the officers' use of force — seemingly at odds with the decision to later drop his charges.

What are the LPD standards?

The Lakeland branch of the NAACP released a statement on Facebook following the Memorial Day arrest.

“We strongly condemn the use of physical force by these professionally trained officers against this unarmed young man,” the organization’s statement read.

Coney said city officials need to take a closer look at the de-escalation training Lakeland officers receive. He said Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden released body camera footage shortly after a deputy shot and killed active-duty U.S. Airman Roger Fortson on May 3. The video has been largely redacted according to a statement from Fortson's family, as reported by USA Today. Last week, the Okaloosa department fired Deputy Eddie Duran.

Lina Portman

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