Mom claims son, 14, was beaten, tasered in face by police after shoplifting arrest
theGRIO REPORT - The mother of a 14-year-old says police officers went too far after arresting her son last Tuesday following an arrest for shoplifting from a local Wal Mart.
The mother of a 14-year-old says police officers went too far after arresting her son last Tuesday.
Marissa Sargeant, the mother of the young boy – whose name has not been released – claims officers brutally beat her son after he was arrested for shoplifting from a Wal Mart store in Tullytown, PA.
The boy was with two adult relatives at the time and while his mother admits that what he did was wrong, she says her son did not deserve to be allegedly assaulted by police.
“I know what my son did was wrong, but look at the picture, you think he deserved all that for retail theft?” Sargeant told LevittownNow.com.
Authorities say the teen took off running after he was arrested. According to David Heckler, Buck County District Attorney, police officers aimed a taser at the boy and fired the stun gun to subdue him after they yelled warnings for the teen to stop.
The D.A. says the taser struck the boy in the face while his hands were cuffed, causing the boy to fall face-first. According to NBC 10, Heckler believes the police acted in a just manner but says the case is under investigation.
However, his mother finds the report skeptical and believes the officers beat her son and threatened him to stay quiet. He was later taken to the hospital.
“That doesn’t sound right,” Sargeant said. “There’s no way, if he was running from behind, that he would get hit with a taser in the front of his face.”
Sargeant has hired Center City attorney Fortunato Perri Jr. who is representing them in the case and plans to file a complaint.
“With the nature of the injuries that occurred in this case, we believe it’s clear that the police used excessive force,” Perri told theGrio.
Perri said that investigation is currently ongoing but given the circumstances, it is likely that they will file a civil rights suit.
Follow Lilly Workneh on Twitter @Lilly_Works
