Police in Hollywood, Florida, are accused of using excessive force during the arrest of a 15-year-old African-American boy, who says that he was strong-armed and even tasered by police.
Jaydon Stubbs was arrested last Wednesday as he and a group of friends were heading to Hollywood Beach to bike along the boardwalk, Local 10 News reported. According to an affidavit, a officer spotted the bike-riding teens popping wheelies and ignoring traffic laws as they rode through an area police said has been hit by a string of recent burglaries.
Jaydon Stubbs, 15, said officers jumped on him and placed their knees in his back, after which another officer ran up and tased him. (Local 10 News / video screenshot)
The female officer attempted to stop the teens for questioning, but they split up and rode away from her.
Stubbs soon found himself riding alone down an alley as police chased the teens. Officers eventually caught up with the 15-year-old, at which point he claims one officer accelerated and hit the back tire of his bike, causing him to stumble and fall.
“I was coming from this way,” Stubbs explained. “I was riding my bike. As soon as I got right here, the police car sped up and it hit my back tire and I fell sideways.”
The impact caused significant damage to the bike’s rear end, turning the back tire into a hunk of twisted metal, according to a photo obtained by Local News 10.
Stubbs said he was frightened by the crash, so he felt he had to keep running.
“If he hit me with his truck, Lord knows what else he would do,” he told the outlet.
Police caught up to him again, and things went from bad to worse. The teen said at least three of the officers jumped on him and kneed him in the back in an attempt to take him down. Meanwhile, another officer came over and stunned him with a taser as another officer placed him in handcuffs.
While she doesn’t condone her son’s actions, Stubbs’ mother doesn’t blame him for being scared and questioned the amount of force used by police to take him into custody.
“[With] what’s going on in the world today with these young black boys and the cops, you can’t blame the children for being afraid of the police,” Ramona Miller said.
According to Local 10 News, the police report given to Miller contains few details about her son’s arrest or why officers felt the need to use a stun gun. The report does note, however, that Stubbs had to be taken to the hospital after being shocked.
The teen’s mother has since filed a complaint with the department’s Internal Affairs Unit, accusing officers of excessive force.
Hollywood Police didn’t respond to Atlanta Black Star’s request for comment.
