Just what the LAPD needs… (more here) I saw the video footage of this last night – and the cop really wailed on the kid – blatantly threw him into the back of the cruiser, bouncing his face off the trunk, then punched him square in the face, having to be wrestled off by two other cops.

I know that these cops have to put up with a lot in a day in LA, and I realize that they’re only human… and there’s no real indication of what may have happened before the video camera started rolling, but really, whatever happened, this officer’s reaction couldn’t possibly be justified. The guy was in cuffs – he was subdued. And cops are supposed to be trained to keep their cool – not to fly off and hit somebody in the face – they’re trained in non-combative restraint.

I should also mention that I don’t believe the boy or his father’s version of the story – they claim that the kid was doing exactly as the officer instructed, that the attack was entirely unprovoked. I highly doubt this guy was being a perfect little angel. But that doesn’t negate the fact that this officer was out of line… no matter what happened before the tape.

As expected, the race card has been played… this article also mentions that the teen is “developmentally disabled” … now, that may just be lawyer-speak, but this is not looking good at all.