Tulsa police release body cam footage of jaywalking arrest
The videos appear to have been blurred and redacted by law enforcement to conceal the identities of the minors.
Last week a Black teenager was arrested and a second young man was handcuffed just for jaywalking. Now the Tulsa police have released body camera footage from the officers involved amidst questions from community leaders.
According to CNN, Tulsa PD published the clips as a direct response to a social media campaign from local residents demanding answers about the arrest. However, the videos appear to have been blurred and redacted by law enforcement to conceal the identities of the minors.
“I want every kid in Tulsa to feel safe to walk down the street in their neighborhood,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said in a statement Wednesday. “No Tulsa kid should have to fear being tackled and cuffed for walking down the street. I viewed that footage last night more as a parent than a mayor.”
“I know the officers in that unit focus on removal of illegal guns from the streets, but the goal of that work should be that families feel safe in their neighborhood. This instance accomplished the opposite,” Bynum continued, assuring the public that the June 4th incident is under investigation.
In the bodycam footage, the two teens can be seen walking together down the middle of a road when they are suddenly approached by an officer on foot and a second one in a squad car.
Once the officers close in on the young men, one of them can be seen forcing a teenager onto his stomach to handcuff him, while pinning him down with his arms and knees. The second teenager is also handcuffed but remains standing.
The young men repeatedly ask for an explanation as to why they are being detained and handcuffed, and the teen being pinned down accuses the officers of targeting him be because his is Black, saying “you want to see me in jail or dead.”
That’s when the officer informs the men they are being arrested for jaywalking and the teenager struggling to get free yells, “Call my momma!”
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