MPD Addresses Facebook Video Depicting Police Punching Youth

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A number of groups including Black Lives Matter and CAIR-Minnesota plan to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon to speak out after a video surfaced purportedly showing police punching a Black youth earlier this week.

The video, which was posted to Facebook earlier (warning: strong language), appears to show Minneapolis and Robbinsdale police officers — as well as county sheriff’s deputies — involved in an incident with two Black youth and other neighborhood residents.

The video appears to show one young person punched in the face while being held by other officers.

The groups speaking out against the incident also say that another young person was bitten by a police dog.

On Thursday morning, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo addressed the video, saying the scene depicted in it followed a violent carjacking in New Hope. Arradondo said that the car was stopped by Robbinsdale Police at 32nd and James Avenue North in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Police arrived at the scene to assist, Arradondo reported, and a crowd gathered. The suspect reportedly needed medical treatment, Arradondo added.

The individual shown being punched in the video has been taken into custody, he reports.

Mpls Police were called in to assist with crowds after Robbinsdale police were taking a different individual into custody for a violent carjacking in another city.
The man punched was also taken into custody, but the chief was unable to get into specifics on that. pic.twitter.com/cfq3x9khyt
— Guy Still (@mplstvguy) March 25, 2021