Video of a white officer punching a Black teen sparks calls for his firing; charges

Photos and text by David Pierini staff reporter

Activists called for the immediate firing of Minneapolis and Robbinsdale police officers Thursday after a viral video showed a white officer punching a Black teenager during an arrest. 

A protesters waves two Black Lives Matters flags for passing motorists to see. Photo David Pierini

Police and community members can be seen clashing on the video, captured Wednesday when officers from three departments were involved in a stop of a suspected carjacker. Police say a carjacking took place in New Hope and Robbinsdale police followed the suspects and made a stop in the 3200 block of James Avenue North in North Minneapolis.

Minneapolis police Chief Medaria Arradondo said a thorough investigation into the conduct of the officers involved is underway. 

Elizer Darris, co-executive director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund, calls for the immediate firing of the officer who punched the teenaged boy. Photo David Pierini

The incident occurred at a tense moment in the city with the trial of now former Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officer Derek Chauvin set to begin next week. Chauvin was seen in a video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes before he died. The incident sparked worldwide outrage over excessive police force and demands for justice for all who have died in the hands of police.

The extent of the injuries of the boy who was punched this week was not immediately known. Police arrested two people, including the boy who was punched.  

About 75 people attended a press conference and rally Thursday outside MPD’s Fourth Precinct headquarters. The rally was sponsored by the Racial Justice Network and Minneapolis for Community Control of Police.

“We saw a young person brutalized and dehumanized with a sucker punch,” said Elizer Darris, co-executive director of the Minnesota Freedom Fund. “(The officer) reared back and threw down a towering, powerful punch on someone who was defenseless at the time. We saw an officer assault someone being held by other officers and knock that boy out. We need to crack and destroy that blue line. It is murderous and dangerous and it is time.”

In a separate news conference Thursday, Arradondo said he could not speak to the specifics of the incident until the completion of the investigation. 

“Some individuals in the community have made a declaration that the officers should be fired,” Arradondo said. “There has to be an investigation and need to receive the information. At this time, there has been no decision.”