‘The video does not look pretty’: Webster police respond to rough arrest of teenager

Webster police responded Monday to a third-party video that has been circulating on social media showing the arrest of a teenager Saturday night Police commented the video does not capture the whole encounter nor give proper context and subsequently distributed body camera video from one of their officers involved in the situation In a message police wrote We are aware of a third-party video circulating on social media showing the arrest of a male During the arrest you can see officers wrestling and punching the male trying to take him into custody I will admit the video does not look pretty However anytime officers have to use force it never does It s also critical to realize that this is just a brief snippet of the event and the viewer has no idea the circumstances that led up to this interaction what the officers perception of the situation was and why they responded the way they did On Saturday at approximately p m the South Worcester County Communication Center explained it received a call for three juveniles dressed in black taking what appeared to be rifles out of a backpack in the area of Park Street and Myrtle Avenue Police announced patrol units did not find the teenagers there A short time later police received reports that three juveniles fired shots out of a car window and they were involved in an altercation on Wall Street Officers arrived a short time later Police mentioned as they were responding they were advised that the altercation was possibly turning physical It was also communicated that there was a achievable firearm involved Body camera video disclosed by Sergeant Mroczek captured one suspect trying to hold another back One of them appeared to be agitated and police stated he was showing a tendency to be assaultive They declared that suspect then ignored officers commands to get on the ground and shouted profanities at them Police announced due to the suspect s refusal to comply with orders they were forced to try and take him to the ground In a comment police announced Officer Johnson tries unsuccessfully to escort him to the ground but he gets back up The male grabs onto Officer Johnson and you can see his hands in the area of his firearm as they struggle Sergeant Larochelle then tackles him to the ground He is still grabbing at officers duty belts and their equipment which can turn into a potentially lethal encounter Police commented another suspect was yelling Do not shoot him which would lead officers to believe that there may be a firearm present on the scene The suspect then ends up on the ground Video captured one officer punching him and he is still on his side and not restrained The officer also kneed the suspect in his chest which police noted also did not stop the suspect from resisting and fighting with officers Police reported they used a taser but it had no effect Officers disclosed they were telling him to lie on his stomach and put his hands behind his back The suspect eventually complied and police disclosed they took him and another suspect into custody Both were eventually issued to their parents Police revealed two BB guns were located in a scenario about feet away from where the pair was arrested They were also connected to the shooting out a car window on Myrtle Avenue One officer sustained a broken hand Another sustained minor injuries