Family of Teen Punched by Sacramento Deputy Calls for Officer to Be Fired, Charged With Child Abuse

The family of a 14-year-old boy who was treated roughly by a Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy say they want the deputy to be fired and charged with child abuse. A short video of the incident, which took place in Rancho Cordova, has gone viral.

In a statement, the Sheriff's Department said the deputy, who was working under contract with the Rancho Cordova Police Department, was patrolling an area on Monday where citizens had complained about hand-to-hand sales of alcohol, tobacco and drugs to minors.

The video clip of the incident shows the deputy, who appears to be white, grabbing the African American teen's right wrist and pulling his arm in an apparent attempt to turn the teen onto his stomach.

The teen appeared to resist, and the deputy used a hand to push the youth's face toward the ground while pulling the teen's right hand behind his back. The deputy then punched the teen with his right hand while holding him down with his left hand.

At a press conference organized by Black Lives Matter Sacramento on Wednesday, Leata Tufono, the boy’s aunt, said the family wants accountability.

“Accountability for using excessive force on a person that’s less than half your size," she said. "Accountability for repeatedly throwing punches at him while he’s yelling he’s 14 years old.”

Black Lives Matter Sacramento said they and the family have several demands of the Police Department, including the public release of any audio and video of the incident and that the officer involved be fired and charged with child abuse, physical assault of a minor and child endangerment.

In an interview with Fox 40, the teen apologized for his role in the incident, but said it doesn't excuse the officer's actions. He said he'd also like to meet with the officer again.

Rancho Cordova Police Chief Kate Adams began her news job on Monday. In a video statement she said she understands why people are concerned about the incident.

“I have viewed the video that is circulating, and as a chief of police and a mom I have many of the same concerns that have been expressed since the release of the video on social media,” Adams said.

Adams said the officer has been temporarily reassigned and the department has launched an internal investigation.