Caught on Tape: Houston Teen Beaten By Police

Surveillance video is released of teen being kicked, punched and stomped on.

ByABC News
February 3, 2011, 3:16 PM

Feb. 3, 2011 — -- A surveillance video shot almost a year ago apparently shows Houston police officers relentlessly beating, kicking and stomping on a teen burglary suspect was just released to the public.

The footage was released by Quanell X, a Houston activist, on Wednesday. It was shown on ABC's Houston station, KTRK-TV.

Right after the attack, "We began to mobilize and organize the community for justice for Mr. Holley and for the community who wanted to view the tape," Quanell X told ABC News. "From day one, I was always subtly threatened by police officers, and the mayor of Houston who made a statement at the very beginning of the case that if anyone possessed a copy of the tape it would be considered theft and would be prosecuted."

The video shows Chad Holley, who was 15 years old at the time, running along a metal fence away from police officers when a police car speeds towards him and cuts him off. The car slams into Holley. Holley's body goes flying across the car onto the ground. His body rolls and he ends up on his stomach. He clamps his hands over his head. Policemen run up to him and begin attacking him.

The boy remains limp on the grass while police officers kick him from all sides. Only his feet move, apparently in reaction to the officers' kicks. One police officer then begins stomping on Holley's feet, and some officers kneel down on the ground beside him and start punching him. After being beaten for about two minutes by several police officers, Holley is handcuffed, and then picked up and thrown against the back of the police car.

Holley was a sophomore at Elsick High School in Houston at the time.

The footage was captured on March 24, 2010 by a camera at Uncle Bob's Self-Storage. The storage facility sent its surveillance video to the Houston Police Department and the District Attorney within a week of the incident.

Holley was found guilty in October 2010 of stealing cash, jewelry and a keyboard from a Houston townhouse. The surveillance video was not shown at his trial. He was put on probation for two years.

His attorney, however, insisted that Holley had nothing to do with the burglary.