A Florida corrections officer is in hot water after he went beast-mode against a black male teenager at a juvenile facility. The attack – choking, punching and all – was caught on surveillance camera and has now gone viral.
Reports have it that Sarasota County Deputy Neil Pizzo has been put on administrative leave after the assault at the Juvenile Assessment Center on September 1.
Video footage showed Pizzo marching toward 17-year-old Terrence Reed, who was sitting on a bench, pushing him toward the wall and grabbing his neck for a two-handed choke before wrestling him onto the floor.
Seconds later, another officer showed up and pulled Reed's left leg so Pizzo could mount the teenager's back to handcuff him, but not without giving him a few slaps and punches to the back of the head as the other officer put his knees on Reed's legs to prevent him from moving.
All this happened without any provocation, or without the boy fighting back. Around halfway into the video, three other burly officers arrived and escorted Reed away. The deputies claimed Reed refused to follow instructions.
The "altercation" started after Reed reportedly became uncooperative during a police lineup. He had recently been arrested and charged with court contempt, probation violations, and possession and selling of cocaine.
That, of course, does not justify the excessive use of force by the deputy, and Sheriff Tom Knight said he was very disappointed in what he saw and his deputy's failure to handle the situation properly and without violence.
Knight said they slowed the video down to examine the frames and said, "we've got a problem," reports said. Knight pointed out that clearly, there was a violation of policy, and that Rizzo has been relieved from his post.
Reed was later taken to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital where he was treated for a head abrasion. Knight said an internal investigation is now underway.
