Aug 29, 2007 7:34 pm US/Eastern
Sleepy Hollow Teen Files Police Brutality Charge
by John Slattery
SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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Duanny Mota, 16, tells CBS 2 the use of the stun gun was unnecessary and brutal in the incident, which was caught on video.
CBS
A teenager was tasered by police in Sleepy Hollow after being stopped on his bicycle and now the boy's family is filing brutality charges against the officer.
Duanny Mota, 16, tells CBS 2 the use of the stun gun was unnecessary and brutal in the incident, which was caught on video. Police released part of that video, which was shot from a video camera that was mounted on the taser, showing the moment when the stun gun was used.
It began as a scuffle over a bicycle on Monday evening. Mota says he was sitting on his bike on a street corner -- a bike he says he bought from a friend -- when a detective and an officer asked him if it was his bike.
"He said, 'Go to the officer and give him your information.' So I gave the other officer my information and then went to the other officer and said, 'Can I get back my bike?' He said, 'No, the bike is stolen,'" Mota says.
Police say Mota refused to turn over the bike, pushed the detective, cursed at him, and ran. Mota denies those charges, saying he merely insisted that he get the bike back, and when the detective took out handcuffs, the scared teen ran.
Mota says he got only a block away when he tripped and the detective caught him.
"He grabbed me against the wall, started choking me, and threw me to the ground," he says.
Mota says once on the ground, with one arm under his body, the detective put one handcuff on his outstretched left arm and called out to the officer.
"He said, 'Oh yeah, he's resisting arrest. So tase him.' And he was telling everyone to get back or you'll be tased too," he says.
Mota displayed two scabs on his back where the stun gun was used on him.
People who claim they were witnesses say use of the taser was unwarranted.
"There was no reason for him to do that," says Manuel Melendez, an innocent bystander.
Mota was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He's firing back at police with a brutality charge of his own.
The dispute is going to court in two weeks to determine if the force used was justified.
Stay with CBS 2 and wcbstv.com for the latest in this unfolding story.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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