CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Police Department has released body camera footage of officers arresting two teenagers, a day after footage of the incident received backlash on social media.
The video posted by a witness on social media shows two officers attempting to arrest a teen at the intersection of Reading Road and Seymour Avenue. Witnesses can be heard in the background yelling, “He was only selling water”, our news partners at WCPO report.
CPD said the officers were called Monday to the intersection after a caller told dispatchers a large group of teens who were selling water were running into the street, according to WCPO.
The footage shows officers asking the teenagers to get out of the roadway.
Body camera footage of the incident was released the next day by CPD.
“If y’all want to sell water bottles that’s fine, stay out of the streets, though,” the officer said.
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One teen is heard asking the officer how they can sell the water if they cannot walk onto the street.
“I’m telling you right now, they’re calling us. I don’t want to do something about it, right?” the officer said.
Video shows the officer walking up to one teenager, who police later said was 14, and telling him to put his hands behind his back.
“Stop resisting, you’re going to get tased stop resisting,” an officer tells him in the released footage.
According to police, as this was happening, two other teens tried to take his fanny pack.
One of the teens, who police said was 15 years old, was taken into custody.
During the video, the teen refuses to put his hands behind his back, asking repeatedly, “Why are you detaining me for?”
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The officer then opens the fanny pack to find what appears to be a handgun, one teenager is heard saying in the background “it’s a BB gun.”
CPD said the officer was able to examine it and confirm it was a BB gun that is an exact replica of a Glock 19.
“Stupid,” the officer said to the teen who was wearing the fanny pack. “Who rolls around with that? How old are you? Why would you roll around with that?”
Police arrested the 14-year-old along with a 15-year-old for resisting arrest and obstructing official business.