An Ohio cop was fired from his job after shocking bodycam footage showed him violently arresting a 14-year-old Black boy in February for a pedestrian traffic violation.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, Donovan Bever and another cop saw a group of teenagers lingering in the street at a crosswalk near an apartment complex on February 19.
Both cops drove up to the teens and said, “Let’s chat,” and the teens ran off. One officer got out of the car and chased them on foot, according to NBC4 Columbus, while Bever drove around in pursuit.
Bever’s partner caught up with the two of the teens, pulled out his gun, and raised it at both boys while ordering them to get on the ground before threatening to shoot them. Both teens followed his orders.
Bever’s bodycam footage showed him pull his police car to the area where his partner had detained both teens. He’s seen getting out of his car and running toward the scene. The boys were already on the ground, but Bever ran up to one teen, bent down, grabbed his locs, and slammed his face to the ground, bloodying his nose in the process.
The teen is seen groaning in pain and distress while Bever cuffs him and begins roughly searching the teen’s pockets, saying he’s searching him for a gun. Police officials also said he struck the teen in his groin during the arrest.
The teen yells, “I’m sorry,” and “I’m complying,” repeatedly and tells Bever he doesn’t have a gun.
In the footage, Bever is heard saying to the teen, “You move, I will break your face.”
After searching him, Bever drags the teen by his locs back to his police car. As they approach his vehicle, Bever asks the teen, “You got AIDS?”
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant criticized the officers’ actions and said they had no reason to draw their weapons or use force on the teens. She said they should have pulled over and respectfully approached the teens to talk about pedestrian laws.
“I was angry, disappointed, upset,” Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said of the arrest, according to the Columbus Dispatch. “That is not what we reflect as Columbus Division of Police. The majority of our officers have great relationships with our community.”
Within hours of the arrest, Bever’s gun and badge were confiscated, and he was placed on leave. He was finally terminated from his position on June 10.
Other city officials condemned the arrest and shared their approval of Bever’s firing.
“Our community deserves better, and that 14-year-old deserved better,” Columbus Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti said.
“I’m angry how this one officer’s petty power trip calls into question the integrity and hard work of the entire Division,” Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin said.
“The conduct of these individual officers is unacceptable, falls far short of the standard expected of any public servant, and tarnishes the great work being done every day by the members of the Division of Police,” City Attorney Zach Klein said.
Bever faced three citizen complaints during his time on the Columbus police force, two of which reported harassment and the use of profanity and rude language. Bever’s former supervisor had warned him about his language use in the past.
In November 2021, he violated policy “by continually swearing at the arrestee while taking him into custody.”
During his April 2022 performance review, he had to be given “constructive feedback” about his interactions with the public, and the department arranged for him to be retrained in de-escalation tactics and verbal confrontation.
