Local
“The video was painful to watch — particularly given its historical context.”
BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — A Brockton police officer has been placed on leave after kneeling on a high school student during an arrest.
Video of the Wednesday incident shows the student on the ground face-down and the officer kneeling on the student’s back.
Brockton Public Schools Superintendent Michael Thomas said in a recorded call to parents that the unnamed officer had been handcuffing the student because he allegedly assaulted another student.
“The video was painful to watch — particularly given its historical context,” Thomas said in the call, according to WCVB-TV. “The video depicts the moment the student is being handcuffed, and the way the student is being restrained during the arrest has been cause for great concern.”
Brockton police said they’re looking into whether the officer followed proper arrest procedures.
The department said the 16-year-old student was talking to another student when he got off his bike and hit the other student in the face around noon. The officer, who was stationed at the school, broke up the fight but police say the student resisted arrest.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave; the student was charged with assault and battery. He was released to his parents.
School officials say staff will be on hand Thursday for students that want to speak privately about the incident.
