WEDNESDAY | 4.15.2015 | MACEANDCROWN.COM | Vol. 57, Issue 22
Monarchs fall to VCU. C2
Virginia Beach Police Department
Virginia Beach Police Investigate Use of Force on Teenager
Josh Whitener Assistant News Editor
The use of pepper spray and a stun gun on a local Virginia Beach teenager was caught on video, which resulted in a police investigation. Brandon Wyne, 17, can be seen screaming and writhing in pain on a video recorded from the car Wyne was riding in on January 10. The driver, Courtney Griffith, told WTKR the officers conducted a traffic stop at 9 p.m. in the 1900 block of Darnell Drive, which is located near Diamond Springs Road, because Griffith’s license plate light was out. Upon conducting the stop, the officers allegedly smelled marijuana. The video depicts the interaction
between Wyne and officers. Wyne is initially uncooperative with officers, stating that he is a minor and demanding his mother’s presence. Griffith is also heard requesting for the officers’ sergeant to be present. “Step out of the vehicle,” one officer says. “I’m going to get out, I’m going to get out,” Wyne finally concedes. An arm reaches into the car and tries to pull Wyne from the vehicle. An officer yells, “Get out!” and then proceeds to pepper spray Wyne before then stunning him twice with a Taser. “We are heavily investigating this video and all of the circumstances,” Police Chief Jim Cervera said after a meeting at the Convention Center. “I am not overly comfortable
with what I saw on that video, I can tell you that. It’s not good.” The video was posted to the Facebook profile of Courtney Gee and has been viewed more than a million times. According to a news release Thursday, the awareness of the four-minute video prompted Virginia Beach Police Department to place an officer on administrative duty, and the department has begun an internal investigation. Brian Luciano, president of the Virginia Beach Police Benevolent Association, told the VirginianPilot that the officer’s actions in the video appear to be in line with the department’s use-of-force policy. But he said the investigation still must conclude.
“Be patient, and don’t judge it just by what you see,” Luciano said. “There’s always more to the story. We would caution the officers to just do the right thing, to do what they’re trained to do and not worry about politics.” In a traffic stop, the people in a vehicle have a legal obligation to comply with an officer’s orders, Luciano added. Police did retrieve 5.5 ounces of marijuana and a scale from the vehicle during the stop that night. Griffith was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana, which has since been dismissed by a judge as of April 1. Macie Pridgen, a spokesperson for the Commonwealth’s Attorney, told the Virginian-Pilot that
a 17-year-old was also charged on that date with misdemeanor resisting arrest, felony possession with intent to distribute marijuana and felony assault on a law enforcement officer. She could not provide the teens’ name or whether it was the one depicted in the video. A 17-year-old teen is currently being detained in juvenile detention. The felony assault charge has since been reduced to a misdemeanor. The video has sparked an outcry online and has alarmed the family of the teen. The police investigation is still ongoing.
Michael Copon visits ODU. B1 The Mace & Crown
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