A 15-year-old student from St. Cloud High School (in St. Cloud, Florida) has become a topic of controversy about police-citizen relations and somewhat of an anti-hero amidst his highly publicized scuffle with a cop. The on-camera incident took place on Thursday when the St. Cloud Police Department ascended upon the campus to break up a fight between two 14-year-old students. According to reports, a 15-year-old student that was not directly involved in the matter initially, walked up to one of the police officers and grabbed his neck in an attempt to pull him away from the student conflict. This prompted the officer's attempt to physically restrict the 15-year-old with a bear hug. But the 15-year-old countered the officer's move with a body slam to the ground, followed by a bevy of strikes to the cop's upper body. When the officer's body hit the ground, the crowd of adolescent onlookers oohed and ahhed as the shocking turn of events played out. The officer eventually regained control with the help of other students and school administrators who were on hand.
Shortly after the scuffle, the 15-year-old student was arrested for resisting an officer with violence and battery of a law enforcement officer. The St. Cloud Police Department will be releasing body-cam footage from the incident sometime this week.
"What occurred to Officer Ball was despicable and should never have happened," said St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke. "We will never tolerate behavior that targets our officers and will hold those accountable at the highest levels."
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Source: Fox35 Orlando
