The arrest of teenager last week by nine Stockton police officers was captured on cellphone video and has gone viral with more than half a million views and has triggered an internal investigation.
A crowd shouted out as police wrestled a 16-year-old African-American boy to the ground and handcuffed him at the Stockton downtown bus station.
The family has filed a formal complaint alleging excessive force saying the teen was only trying to catch a bus to Chavez High School.
Stockton NAACP President Bobby Bivens says police actions were outlandish.
"The young man was not committing a crime so all he was doing was trying to catch his bus to get to school," he says.
Stockton Police Officer Joe Silva says the teen refused to move out of a bus lane and then tussled with the officer's baton after which more officers were called.
"You see the kid grabbing and holding onto the officer's baton and as police officers we cannot and will not let anyone take any of our weapons," says Silva.
The teen was cited for trespassing and resisting arrest. Bivens says a meeting has been set up with the police chief to discuss the incident.
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