Tulsa Police Release Body Cam Footage Of Officers Handcuffing Black Teenagers For Jaywalking
In response to social media messages from the community about the arrest of two black teenagers, Tulsa police have released body camera footage showing the moments the two boys are detained for jaywalking.
In the videos of the June 4 incident, the two teenagers can be seen casually walking down the middle of a road together before they are approached by officers. The clip then shows one officer grabbing one of the boys from behind, forcing the teen on his stomach to handcuff him. The second teenager is also handcuffed, but doesn’t struggle and remains standing.
The teenagers can both be heard asking the officers repeatedly why they are being detained and handcuffed. The teenager being held lets the officers know that they were only targeting him be because he is black, saying “you want to see me in jail or dead.” One of the arresting officers responds by telling the teens they were breaking the law by jaywalking. Now, as many pointed out, the arrests were unnecessary especially because the penalty for jaywalking typically includes a fine similar to a parking ticket.
Now, the teen who was shoved into the police car can be heard telling his friend to call his mother as he starts to get even more frustrated. The second teenager can be heard repeatedly telling his companion, “Chill out, bro. It’s not worth it.” A black man who happened to be nearby questioned the officers’ treatment of the teenagers. But one cop can be heard telling him to get out of the street or be arrested as well.
The second teenager was eventually released from his handcuffs and instructed on how to avoid jaywalking going forward while the first teenagers remained inside the caged squad car.
According to CNN, Tulsa police says the department’s Internal Affairs Unit is investigating the first teenager’s arrest.
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