Was This 17-Year-Old Alabama Teen Brutally Beaten By Police?

By: Mahogany Waldon

The Troy, Alabama Police Department is currently under investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation for the alleged attack of a 17-year-old teenager that occurred on Christmas Eve. Despite claims of excessive force, Troy officers claim that when the minor was pulled over for walking behind a closed business front, he fled the scene then refused to comply with officers.

Officers are also saying that the subject was reaching towards his waistband as if reaching for a weapon, reports WFSA.

Troy police are also claiming to have recovered a handgun from the scene where the victim fled police. The teen was charged with obstructing governmental operations and resisting arrest.

The injuries sustained by the victim had to be treated at two different Alabama medical facilities. Images have also begun to circulate the internet of the victim’s face badly swollen and scarred.

Many from the local Troy community and abroad are outraged by the events that led to the teen’s injuries. Many are also suggesting that the alleged assault was an act of racially charged police brutality in a city that seems to have long-standing prejudiced roots. Just this year, a Troy university student received backlash for dressing as President Trump and chasing another student dressed as an  “immigrant” during a party.  

A major Facebook campaign has been started by the victim’s family calling for justice. The teen’s mother claims that her son suffered a fracture that required surgery.

Later in an interview with WKRG, the injuries are said to include trauma to the brain, swelling of the brain, and a cracked eye socket, according to the victim’s father.

In light of the tragic events, Brooklyn-based activist and writer, Shaun King has shared posts from the victim’s family. King has also detailed his own experience with racism in the past, as a high school student he was beaten in an alleged hate crime and required major surgery on his spine.

On Facebook, King commented “I’m sorry to share something so graphic, but several people connected to this case of police brutality asked me to. We are demanding answers and justice for this young man.”

The original post and images of the victim have been shared on Facebook over 61,000 times.

No further information has been released by Troy officials.