Man Claiming to Be Off-Duty Cop Filmed Pinning Teen to Ground With Knee

Police have launched an investigation over a video that appears to show a man claiming to be an off-duty officer pinning a 14-year-old to the ground with his knee on the boy’s back.

As Fox 32 Chicago reported, the footage shows an unidentified white man who says he’s an off-duty cop pinning down the teen, who is Puerto Rican, and accusing him of stealing his son’s bike. Chicago police have since confirmed that “an internal investigation has been opened.”

In a post shared on Facebook, the child’s mother Nicole Nieves said the incident happened on July 1. She said her son tried to move a bike that was blocking the sidewalk, and that’s when the man accused him of trying to steal a bicycle even though he had his own bike with him at the time. 

“This adult did not use words—he used force; he used his hands. Grabbed our son’s wrists, body slammed him, then held him down with his knee to forcibly restrain him,” Nieves wrote. “Regardless of the circumstances, getting physical with a minor as an adult for any reason other than self defense is unacceptable.”

Nieves believes the attack was racially motivated, because her son, who is Puerto Rican, has darker skin and long, curly hair. “We’ve talked to our 3 Puerto Rican boys about this moment for years,” she continued. “We can’t possibly put into words how we’re feeling—disgust, anger, frustration, outrage, fear, sadness.”