Body cam shows officer punching, pepper spraying handcuffed mentally-ill teen

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019
Body cam shows officer punching, pepper spraying handcuffed mentally-ill teen
Video of the November incident led to the officer's dismissal.

ALBION, Mich. (WPVI) -- Body cam video has emerged showing an Albion Michigan public safety officer repeatedly punching then pepper-spraying a handcuffed 13-year-old boy known to have a mental illness.

The incident, which occurred last November, led to the officer's dismissal last month, according to CBS 3 in Michigan.

"They had been to his home numerous times. They were familiar with him. But more importantly, they were familiar with his mental condition," says attorney Eusebio Solis. "And so he should not have been treated as a criminal. He should have been treated as a patient."

The officer was dismissed by the Albion Department of Public Safety, noting he "violated several department policies. At press time, he had not been charged for his actions. The teenage boy has been in a juvenile detention facility for several months.