Montgomery County police are investigating after a video was posted to Twitter showing one of their officers kneeing a person who was laying in the sidewalk.
The video shows someone handcuffed and lying on his stomach on a sidewalk; police said it was at the Aspen Hill Shopping Center. An officer, one of a group of at least four on the scene, holds him down by the neck with one knee, while another stands on the back of his left knee.
After the officer stands up, the handcuffed person raises his head and yells at the officers. The officer drops back down to one knee, hitting the person in the neck and driving his head into the sidewalk, face-first.
The person’s mouth is bloodied, and he’s told to stop spitting as his shirt is pulled up to cover his face. Then the video ends.
There’s no word on who the person is, or what he was accused of doing.
Police said via Twitter that they’ve identified the officers involved and are asking any witnesses to call them at (240) 773-6000.
“The Montgomery County Department of Police takes any complaints or evidence of excessive force seriously,” police said. “An investigation into this matter has been opened and will be investigated thoroughly.”
The language in the video and the tweet could be offensive to some. The video is here.
