Viral videos show Ocean City police ue taser in aggressive arrests of teenagers vaping on boardwalk
Police in Ocean City, Maryland, used a taser during the arrest of several teenagers to enforce a vaping ban at a boardwalk.
Viral videos of the confrontation, which took place on Saturday, drew criticism over the use of force by law enforcement and calls for an investigation and swift dismissal of charges.
Police approached a group of people vaping on the boardwalk at around 8:28 p.m. and informed them about the local ordinance prohibiting vaping or smoking outside of designated smoker zones in the area, according to a press release from Ocean City officials.
When the police started to walk away, one of the officers noticed a group member starting to vape again. The city said Brian Everett Anderson, 19, continued to vape after police told him to stop and became "disorderly" after refusing to provide authorities with identification.
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A video shows Anderson standing in front of the officers with both hands in the air before his left arm lowered toward his backpack. That's when police fired a taser at him, causing Anderson to fall backward to the ground.
The city said in its press release that Anderson resisted arrest when officers attempted to detain him and claimed another member of the group, 19-year-old Kamere Anthony Day, was "yelling profanities" while he "approached" the officers. Additionally, the city said 18-year-old Jahtique Joseph John Lewis attempted to hit an officer with a bicycle and resisted arrest.
Another video angle shows officers starting to handcuff Anderson. At one point during the arrest, Anderson can be heard yelling, "I'm not resisting," before one officer begins pressing his knee at least five times into his rib cage. An additional angle from the arrest shows an officer kneeling on Anderson's legs while he hogtied his feet together.
A witness can be heard saying, "You all did that for no reason," while another responded, "He was standing there!"
Anderson, Day, Lewis, and one other person, all from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, were arrested and charged with counts including disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and second-degree assault. They were released following an appearance in Maryland District Court.
"I'm just glad we made it out alive," Anderson said after the incident.
Adrienne Jones, speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, called the videos from the Saturday incident "deeply disturbing."
Jones said vaping on the boardwalk "is not a criminal offense," adding, "Black and brown children should not be tased while their hands are up. Officers should not kneel on the back of a minor. Vaping should not yield a hogtie."
She urged Ocean City officials to make a review of the incident a "top priority" and "dismiss" the charges for Anderson. Jones also called for the police department to either "reform or retrain" officers on use of force "immediately."
The NAACP Maryland State Conference released a statement alongside Ifill's, calling for a review of all camera footage from the incident and demanding the officers involved be placed on leave until the review concludes.
Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, requested in a Twitter post for Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh to "please investigate these multiple incidents involving police and unarmed Black teens in Ocean City."
In a tweet responding to Ifill, Frosh said he was "concerned" about the taser incident, adding, "I have shared that concern with the appropriate law enforcement agencies."
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Ocean City officials vowed to review the actions of the officers. Still, they noted in the press readout, "Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance."
"We are aware of the social media videos circulating regarding this incident," the Ocean City readout added, referring to some social media posts that called into question the use of force by the officers.
The Washington Examiner contacted Ocean City officials, Ocean City Police Department, and Frosh but did not immediately receive a response.
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Tags: News, Maryland, Police, Tasers, Law Enforcement
Original Author: Kaelan Deese
Original Location: Viral videos show Ocean City police ue taser in aggressive arrests of teenagers vaping on boardwalk
