Video of El Paso officer detaining teen during shooting call sparks controversy

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — El Paso police released new information about a video that showed an officer allegedly roughly handling a young woman.

Officers said they responded to a shooting at 11:29 p.m. at the 800 block of Nita Fay on Saturday.

Through the investigation, police learned an 18-year-old was shot and is now in the hospital.

Police said when they arrived males and females were running from the area and leaving in vehicles.

"There was a loud commotion in the background, and gunshots were heard," police said in a statement.

A total of eight teens were found hiding by a house.

Police said they detained the individuals to get information about any victims or suspects.

An officer asked them to sit on the curb.

They "uncooperatively wanted to use their phones, which could have caused complications with the investigation due to unknown factors," the statement from police read.

A video from a viewer showed an officer appearing to restrain a girl while she was sitting on the ground.

The officer is then seen quickly yanking her to the side.

You can hear multiple people yelling and swearing at the officer to let her go.

The officer is also seen pushing the girl's head down toward the ground and then quickly yanks her arm to the side again.

The girl can then be seen getting up while another police officer is holding down someone else on the ground.

El Paso Police Department officer is seen on video trying to take a teen girl into custody.
(Credit: Viewer)

Police said the officer asked the teens multiple times to not use their phones and sit down.

The officer decided to take a female into custody for interfering with the investigation.

Police said another male teen threatened to engage and interfere with the arrest, which police said was not shown in the video.

The male and female were taken into custody and were both charged with resisting arrest and interfering with public duties.

The male faces an additional charge of possession of narcotics and curfew violation.

The two were referred to JPD.

The El Paso Police Department released the following statement about the officer's handling of the situation:

Again, these types of calls can be highly volatile and time-sensitive; a matter of seconds could mean the difference between a victim's death. a suspect fleeing. or the potential for more victims. However, it is essential to note that this particular incident was not about arresting a female juvenile --it was a critical situation with the possibility of becoming much worse.

The Police Department wants to emphasize that the events in the video began with a choice. The juvenile had the option to comply with a reasonable request, sit on a curb, and put down her phone. However, as demonstrated by her hiding next to a house in fear., she must have understood the gravity of this situation.

Police said they initially responded to a reported stabbing.