A video gone viral prompted the Phoenix Police Department to release body camera footage of an incident that occurred on Monday in which an officer is trying to take a 13-year-old girl into custody. The Department released the video which shows the officer hitting the teen, “in an effort to share the facts, and “provide more context.”
According to the Department, on January 31st, at about 4:30 p.m., a caller reported to 911 that they were following their car that had previously been reported stolen. Officers located the car with several people inside. The car turned into an apartment complex near 59th Avenue and McDowell Road. Four men got out of the car. As officers were taking them into custody, people began gathering around, several of them filming the officers. Other officers told onlookers they needed to stay back during the arrests. One of the men being arrested, 25-year-old Javon Johnson, punched an officer in the face, and grabbed onto the officer’s gun. Other officers helped to restrain the man.
The teen approached the officers as they were still detaining people. She was warned multiple times to get back. She walked in front of officers as they were trying to put one of the men in the backseat of a police car and was moved out of the way by an officer.
The teen then passed by the officers who ordered her to stay back, and quickly approached two officers who had a man in custody. A female officer saw her approaching the officers and grabbed her arm to pull her back. The teen swung her arm at the female officer, striking the female officer on the right side of the face. The officer’s body worn camera was knocked off at that time, and can be seen, on other officer’s body camera videos, flying off of her vest. The female officer responded to being hit by striking the teen in the face.
The teen was evaluated for minor injuries and was booked into the Juvenile Correction Center on one count of aggravated assault on a police officer.
This incident is currently under review by the Phoenix Police Department.