Update 02/02/2021 11:40am:
According to reports, one police officer was suspended, and two police officers were placed on administrative leave from the Rochester Police Department after a video surfaced of a 9-year-old girl being pepper-sprayed during a response to a domestic call.
The young girl was reportedly heard and seen crying for her father in the clip, and the officers’ response to the girl caused much backlash. Now, Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren’s office has addressed the matter, saying the officers were immediately removed from their duties. The suspension occurred after Warren met with the Rochester PD chief.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke on the matter, saying “This isn't how the police should treat anyone, let alone a 9-year-old girl.” Stay tuned for more updates.
source: NBC News
Original 02/01/2021 1:00pm:
Police in Rochester, New York, are facing backlash after they were seen on camera pepper-spraying a 9-year-old child who was reportedly suicidal.
Reports noted that Rochester PD officers arrived on the scene after a call was made related to domestic violence. Police say the mother of the child was worried that the young girl would inflict harm on herself. Police were walking the child to a squad car when she began to fall to the ground and scream for her father.
Police were seen in bodycam footage struggling to contain the little girl, with numerous officers showing up. A female officer tried to convince the little girl to get in the backseat of the car, and another officer came up and told the girl, “Sit up! You’re acting like a child, stop.” The little girl fired back by saying, “I am a child!!! What the f**k?” From there, the female officer warned that the girl would be pepper-sprayed if she didn’t comply. Another officer said, “just spray her at this point,” and the girl could be heard screaming from being sprayed shortly after.
The Mayor of Rochester—Lovely Warren, addressed the situation and said, “This video, as a mother, is not anything you want to see.” Since the footage surfaced, it has been revealed that police have launched an internal investigation. The young girl was released to her family after being treated at a hospital nearby.
source: TMZ
