Rialto police said Tuesday, Feb. 15, that they are investigating the videotaped arrest of a 16-year-old girl during a traffic stop during which an officer throws her to the ground and then appears to choke her.
Two officers were involved in the arrest that happened a few minutes after 4 p.m. on Friday at the corner of South Linden Avenue and Pinedale Avenue. One of the officers has been placed on leave, Cpl. Nic Parcher, a department spokesman, said Tuesday. He declined to say which officer was placed on leave or identify him by name.
“We launched a formal investigation as far as what occurred before, during and after the video,” Parcher said.
The girl, whose name was not announced, was stopped because her motorized bicycle was not street-legal, Parcher said.
The video, which was posted on TikTok, picks up the confrontation with an officer holding each of the girl’s arms as they stand on the sidewalk.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” one officer says.
As the girl says, “Hey go get my …” that same officer wraps his right arm around the girl’s waist and spins her to the ground.
“Hey go get my brother,” she says as she attempts to stand back up. But that officer again knocks her down.
“Did you just try to fight me? Did you just try to fight me?” that officer says while pinning her down as she wails. He then wraps his hands around her neck area.
Police are trying to determine when the fight the officer is referencing occurred, Parcher said.
The girl screams three more times for someone to call her brother.
A second video then shows the same officer shoving her into a patrol car after she had been handcuffed. The officer has at least one stripe on the sleeve of his uniform, indicating that he is a supervisor.
The girl was booked on suspicion of assault on a peace officer, a felony, Parcher said.
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