Cop sent to desk as video outrage brews

Cop sent to desk as video outrage brews
By O’Ryan Johnson and Colneth Smiley Jr.  |   Saturday, October 30, 2010  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

Photo by Chitose Suzuki

One of the officers involved in the controversial videotaped arrest of a 16-year-old escapee was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an investigation.

Officer Michael T. McManus, with three years of service, will report for duty but will work inside the Roxbury station where he is assigned. Police said McManus is the officer that is seen on the video striking the teen in a move that union officials said was used to get the suspect to comply with police demands that he place his hands behind his back.

Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Thomas Nee said McManus is an excellent officer. He said the department’s decision is routine and does not hint at any outcome.

“It’s not the result of any findings and it’s consistent with department policy,” Nee said.

The video — which was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday — shows the arrest of a teenager wanted on multiple warrants who had escaped from a Department of Youth Services lockup. The tape begins as officers have the suspect on the ground at Roxbury Community College and appears to show one cop striking him in the thigh.

The arrest has outraged some in the community, who have called the tape proof of police brutality. Several Roxbury Community College students held a protest outside the school yesterday where they demanded answers. The woman who videotaped the encounter, Eusida Blidgen of Boston, said cops were too rough.

“What is important is what everybody has seen with their own eyes,” she said. “He got beat down pretty bad. My class was finished. I was sitting, figuring out what to do next. I saw him get hit in the head with handcuffs. I did not see him resist arrest, and that’s all I can say. He did not have handcuffs on one hand. I just hope he’s OK and in a safe place.”

Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1292500