After a video emerged of an officer kicking a suspect in the head while detained, the Franklin Township Police Department in Ohio placed him on administrative leave.
A social media user by the name of @j_tennyson_ posted the viral video on Twitter Wednesday morning after a man was pinned down by one officer as the other walks around the suspect’s car and violently kicks him in the head.
The Twitter user wrote, “I don’t care what this dude did, there is no justifiable reason for what the cop did.” He told the media his mother took the video from their house on Sullivant Ave. according to radio station WOSU. The video has since been viewed 735k times.
The man lying on the ground in the video is 18-year-old Anthony Foster Jr., who allegedly fled from officers, but the teen’s mother told NBC4 that her son still didn’t deserve to be handled so forcefully.
“I think both of those cops, their badges should be taken. They shouldn’t be able to work or go to another law enforcement place or work for another county, none of that. Because if you get by with it clearly you’re going to do it again… He’s got a lot of bruising, you can see the boot print on the side of his face, eyes black. Concussion, deep concussion. He’s still dizzy, and is seeing spots,” Nicki Sammons said.
Franklin Township Police Chief Byron C. Smith stated, in the police report that the incident came from a”police involved vehicle pursuit.”
“My office was advised Tues evening of a police-involved vehicle pursuit, during the coarse of the investigation a video surfaced showing possible officer misconduct. The involved officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. This department will not tolerate officer misconduct. More details will follow when the investigation concludes,” the officer stated.
The officer seen in the video has yet to be named.
The suspect’s mother told the news outlet, “Everybody always wonders why all of these kids hate cops… When you see stuff like this, that is why. They make it worse.”