‘Do you want to ride the lightning?’: Video shows white NYPD cops ‘taunting’ black students with taser
A new video has gone viral that seems to show two white NYPD officers taunting black students as they walk down the street.
The incident was captured on cell phone video and posted by Associate Professor of Sociology at Brooklyn College Alex S. Vitale and shows two police officers trying to get kids away from the corner of Bedford Avenue and Campus Road on March 16.
These cops appear to be aggressive with the teens, one of them while holding his police baton.
“What are you going to do about it?” one asked a teen as they walked right behind him.
— Woman in wheelchair tasered during argument with deputies —
When one of the students picked up a handful of snow, one of the policemen pulled out his taser and asked, “Do you want to ride the lightning?”
You can’t hear what the student said in reply, but the cop says, “You better walk away!”
It is unclear if the cops were responding to a call, but even if they were, their actions are questionable.
“The whole interaction seemed like an abuse of authority,” said Vitale.
A spokesman for the NYPD has stated that they are aware of the video and that the incident is under internal review.
NYPD guidelines clearly state that tasers should generally not be used on children.
