It's not clear why a Hurst police officer was arresting the 17-year-old shown in the above video, or how much the he was resisting. What is clear is that the he didn't pose much of a threat when a second cop -- who IDs himself as Officer Arnold -- sprinted in and delivered a flying knee to the back of the teen's head, adding "Move and fuckin' die."
The video was posted Friday to World Star Hip Hop, then picked up on Reddit then, last night, by local news stations.
The teen, Andrew Rodriguez, was charged with resisting arrest and spent three days in jail. His mother, Kelly Pope, was pissed.
"I was mad, I was hurt," Pope told WFAA. "This is supposed to be somebody to protect the city and our children."
She's scheduled to meet with Hurst's police chief this morning. Meanwhile, the police department's only response to the video so far has been a brief post on its Facebook page.
REGARDING THE VIDEO - Obviously, this is not behavior that the City of Hurst and the Hurst Police Department promotes or condones in any way. We strive to build a stronger, safer community through our work around the city and will continue to do so through appropriate action. The incident is being investigated internally.
Update at 7:53 a.m. KTVT gives a fuller account of the incident. Rodriguez was with two friends at Bellaire Park when they were spotted by police, who thought they looked suspicious.
A check found that Rodriguez had a warrant -- his mother said it was for truancy in the eighth grade -- and the first officer moved in to make an arrest. Rodriguez initially tried to brush him off, prompting a minor struggle. That's when Rodriguez' friend, 17-year-old Jordan Rojas, began recording.
Update at 1:41 p.m.: Hurst PD posted an update on their Facebook page a while ago announcing the suspension of Officer Disraeli Arnold pending an internal affairs investigation.
UPDATE REGARDING THE VIDEO OF OFFICER DISRAELI ARNOLD - As we stated previously, this is not behavior that the City of Hurst and the Hurst Police Department promotes or condones. Officer Arnold has been placed on administrative leave pending an ongoing internal affairs investigation.At this point we cannot comment on the status of the investigation from either a civil or criminal standpoint due to legal, civil service, and internal procedural regulations. We are cooperating with the media within the scope of those regulations and any information we can release will be made public through those outlets. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and continued civil discourse as the investigation is conducted.
