Cops Accused Of Racial Profiling After Breaking Up A Fight At Bridgewater Mall
The Bridgewater Police Department has ordered an internal affairs investigation following a video that has went viral on social media and shows officers’ reaction to a fight at the Bridgewater Commons over the weekend.
In the video, you can see two male teens, one black and one white arguing, and then things got physical. Social media users have been outraged once the footage shows how the officers handled the situation. In the video, once authorities arrive they seem to just put the white teen off to the side and forcibly arrest the black teen.
According to YahooNews the black teen was banned from the mall for the next 3 years and the other teen walked away with no consequences at all.
“It’s cause he’s Black, racially motivated,” a female voice is heard saying in the video.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the Bridgewater Police Department said it was aware of the video.
“We recognize that this video has made members of our community upset and are calling for an internal affairs investigation. The officers were able to respond quickly to this incident and stop it from escalating because of a tip we received from the community,” the post says. “We have requested that the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office assist us in this matter and are requesting patience as we strictly adhere to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Internal Affairs Directive https://www.njoag.gov/iapp/.”