Texas Cop Put on Leave After Video of Arrest Surfaces
A group of teens went swimming in a community pool where they weren't allowed.
— -- A McKinney, Texas, police officer has been put on administrative leave after a video surfaced of him forcing a 14-year-old girl in a bikini to the ground and kneeling on her back and then drawing his gun on others who came to her aid.
In the seven-minute clip posted to YouTube, the girl can be seen confronting the officer who was one of a dozen cops police said were sent to deal with a group of teenagers who had gone to a community pool where they were not allowed and refused to leave.
The now-suspended officer -- identified as Cpl. Eric Casebolt -- uses profanity, grabs the girl by the back of her head and forces her to the ground, face-down.
The teen later spoke to Fox station KDFW.
“He grabbed me, and he like twisted my arm on the back of my back, and he shoved me in the grass, and started pulling the back of my braids,” she said. “And I was telling him he could get off me, because my back was hurting really bad.”
The incident on Friday evening began with a report that there were "multiple juveniles" at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool who "do not live in the area or have permission to be there, refusing to leave," McKinney police spokeswoman Sabrina Boston said.
After a group of officers responded to the call and "encountered a large crowd that refused to comply with police commands," she said, additional units were sent.
A formal investigation into the incident has been started and Casebolt has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation, Police Chief Greg Conley said at a news conference.
"Several concerns about the conduct of one of the officers at the scene have been raised," Conley said. "The McKinney Police Department is committed to treating all persons fairly under the law. We are committed to preserving the peace and safety of our community for all our citizens."
An adult male was arrested for interference with the duties of a police officer and evading arrest, he said. Everyone else who had been detained by officers, including a 14-year-old female, was released to a parent, legal guardian or responsible adult, Conley added.