After 16 weeks – Lakeland Police Chief Sam Taylor said the actions of two LPD officers were “reasonable” in arresting a 16-year-old teen for trespassing in North Lakeland pool in May.
Lakeland police responded to a call on Memorial Day reporting there were several teens and young adults in the pool at The Caroline Apartments, 1906 Griffin Road. The caller reported the individuals were not residents of the community and were using profanity, and she had asked the group to leave.
Shortly after the incident, a video was posted on social media appearing to show two Lakeland officers punching and tasing a 16-year-old boy on a wet pool deck before his arrest. “I think the officers were reasonable given the totality of circumstances,” Taylor said.
As part of an administrative investigation, Taylor said LPD detectives put together a roughly 13-minute video combining surveillance footage, body-worn camera footage from the officers, and the viral cell phone video in an effort to provide a comprehensive overview of what happened.
“Our agency reviews all protective actions taken by our officers and takes the use of protective action very, very seriously,” the chief said in the introduction of the video.
Security footage from the apartment complex shows officers arriving to find several teens in the pool. Taylor said the officers spoke to the complainant and then spent about 15 minutes trying to determine who, if anyone, lived in the complex and had the right to be there.
“The officer was provided multiple conflicting statements and false information,” Taylor said. “One person provided information which later determined to be a false name.”
One of the officers asked the group at least five times to leave the pool area. Eventually, some members got out of the pool and began gathering their belongings. At this time, one of the officers deactivated his body camera, believing the call was over.
Taylor said the 16-year-old boy and a female made their way to the exit, but before leaving, the male turned to grab another item from a table inside. He was observed by officers to be watching the complainant, making inappropriate statements, shaking his head, and making gestures, Taylor said.
The officer attempted to redirect the teen’s attention, but the boy responded by putting his hand in front of his face and saying, “I don’t have to talk to you.” The teen then moved around the officer, toward the caller and made remarks, including calling her a “white Karen,” Taylor said.
As the complainant became afraid for her safety, the responding officers stepped in and told the 16-year-old to leave or he would be arrested. Taylor said the teen continued to behave aggressively and was verbally informed he was under arrest.
“The subject should not have turned around from the exit and escalated the situation. An officer cannot ignore a threat,” he said.
The fight witnessed on viral video began when one of the officers tried to grab the teen’s arm to put him under arrest, then he snatched it away, Taylor said. The teen, who Taylor said weighed approximately 374 pounds or nearly twice each officer, began to physically resist arrest.
The first taser seen in the viral video was an attempt to drive tase the teen, or shock the teen, Taylor said, an action that does not use the embedded prongs and did not work. He said the officer then made two attempts to turn the teen to face the wall so he could be handcuffed.
At that time, the chief said video does not clearly show the teen flailing and hitting one officer in the face. The cop responded by punching empty-handed at the suspect’s head. As the struggle continued, Taylor said the teen grabbed the facial area of the officer, who then punched again.
This is a technique trained in the police academy as a legitimate defensive tactic, Taylor said.
⚠️ DISTURBING CONTENT ⚠️
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) May 28, 2024
What is happening here? Two police officers were involved in a physical altercation with a reported 16-year-old. We need more details from police on this encounter.
🎥: FB/Tavi Williams pic.twitter.com/mGkkkgys6x
“The facial area is a legitimate area for punches,” he said. “Not the neck.”
Taylor said the 16-year-old attempted to grab at the officer’s duty belt, resulting in the officer punching again.
There is a moment on the social media video where there appears to be physical space between the two officers and the teen. Taylor said in this moment the boy put his arms up in a fighting stance and could be heard saying “Let’s go.”
One officer stepped forward and made an empty-hand strike, at the teen, while the other officer got his taser upholstered and charged. When the taser was deployed, the teen fell to the floor.
“Once he complied with officers’ commands, the use of force immediately ceased,” Taylor said.
Following the arrest, many on social media and in Lakeland focused on the 16-year-old’s age. Taylor said the teen had refused to identify himself, as officers didn’t learn his age until much later and only knew that he “outweighed officers individually by 200 pounds each.”
Taylor said someone in the group of teens took a photo of the female resident who called in the complaint. The photo was posted on social media resulting in numerous threats made against her, Taylor said, and she has since moved.
The State Attorney’s Office decided not to pursue any charges against the 16-year-old involved.
“The officers had enough probable cause to make an arrest,” Taylor said.