Video: Officer Arrests Teen Who Ignored 17 Orders, Outrage Ensues

The Winston-Salem Police Department released body camera footage that shows a school resource officer arresting a 14-year-old student at Hanes Magnet School.

Winston-Salem Police Officer Tyler McCormick was investigating a disorderly conduct report, WXII reported. School officials told him that 14-year-old Rockell Baldwin skipped class and waited outside to attack another student, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.

Chris Beechler, the officer’s attorney, claimed the student bullied other students in the past.

“Come here,” he told the girl as she was walking away and out of the building. “I’m gone,” she responded.

In the video, McCormick said he wanted to speak to her about what happened between her and the other student. The video shows the girl refusing to comply.

McCormick then stopped her from leaving the area. “Let go of me! I’m gone. I’m leaving school,” she told him.

The Winston-Salem Police Department released body camera footage that shows a school resource officer arresting a 14-year-old student at Hanes Magnet School. Winston-Salem Police Department

After she resisted the officer, he then took her to the ground and placed handcuffs on her.

“You don’t gotta snatch on her like that,” a bystander told him, who was recording him. “That’s fine. I’m videoing, too,” he told him.

“It’s uncomfortable!” the girl said of the handcuffs. “It’s supposed to be uncomfortable,” he responded. “You want to act like a grownup, we’re going to treat you like a grownup, ok?”

The Winston-Salem Urban League and the Ministers’ Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity condemned the arrest of the girl, according to to the Journal. The Ministers’ Conference and the Winston-Salem Urban League said McCormick put his knee on the girl during the arrest.

Winston-Salem police told WXII that the officer followed department policies in the arrest.

Police officials and attorneys, however, denied the activist groups’ version of the story, saying he didn’t slam the girl on the ground or put his knee on his back.

Assistant Police Chief Natoshia Miles said McCormick told the girl to stop at least five times as she left the parking lot, but Baldwin declined to follow orders, the paper reported. When he took her into custody, he told her to stop resisting 17 times, Miles said, the Journal reported.

“If Ms. Baldwin would have changed her behavior and her resistance, she would not have been placed on the ground and placed in handcuffs,” Miles said.

The Rev. John Mendez, the pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church, said the suggestion that McCormick was following department protocol in his arrest is wrong, the Journal reported.

“If that is protocol, it needs to change,” he told the Journal. “We still stand behind Mrs. McLean and her daughter,” Mendez said. “In our opinion, her humanity was violated. She didn’t deserve that.”