Police officials in Seattle have launched an investigation into the conduct of an officer after he was filmed punching a teenage girl in the face.
The policeman struggles to arrest a 19-year-old
Officer Ian Walsh was trying to arrest another girl for jaywalking when he lashed out as the second girl remonstrated with him.
Officials said they have a "number of concerns" over the officer's actions, which was captured on several mobile phone cameras and broadcast on Komonews.com.
"The issue we have to investigate is whether the force he used is reasonable given the combative resistance he was facing," Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz said.
"And we're not going to pass judgement on that until the matter has been thoroughly investigated."
According to a police statement, an officer stopped a teenage male after he walked across a street instead of using a footbridge, and while talking to him four girls jaywalked at the same spot.
Walsh, 39, alleged the group was "verbally antagonistic" and events escalated when the 19-year-old girl, Marilyn Levias, tried to walk away.
The younger girl tried to intervene as Walsh attempted to handcuff Levias, and as the officer struggled to contain the situation he eventually lashed out and hit the 17-year-old girl with a single blow to the face.
Walsh is to be transferred to the police department's training section to "review the tactics that he has been taught" while investigations continue, police said.
The incident comes in the wake of recent allegations of brutality by Seattle officers, including the assault of an unarmed man on the ground and a teenage girl's assault in a cell - both captured on video.
Officials of two pressure groups who oppose police profiling of African-Americans convened a news conference to protest the officer's actions, even if they were a tactic taught in police training.
"That appears to be an overreaction to what appears to be a non-violent jaywalking situation," said James Kelly, president and CEO of the Urban League of Seattle.
"Unfortunately this seems to become too far and too often of the typical police response.
"The provocation of the 17-year-old may have presented a confrontation situation but the violence in the form of a full-blown fist to the face was wrong."
YouTube footage of Monday's incident has already attracted over 264,000 views with more than 6,600 comments being posted about the event.
The 19-year-old woman was charged with obstructing an officer while the 17-year-old girl was booked into the Youth Service Centre pending investigation of assault on an officer, and both were cited for jaywalking.
The policeman struggles to arrest a 19-year-old
Officer Ian Walsh was trying to arrest another girl for jaywalking when he lashed out as the second girl remonstrated with him.
Officials said they have a "number of concerns" over the officer's actions, which was captured on several mobile phone cameras and broadcast on Komonews.com.
"The issue we have to investigate is whether the force he used is reasonable given the combative resistance he was facing," Assistant Seattle Police Chief Nick Metz said.
"And we're not going to pass judgement on that until the matter has been thoroughly investigated."
According to a police statement, an officer stopped a teenage male after he walked across a street instead of using a footbridge, and while talking to him four girls jaywalked at the same spot.
Walsh, 39, alleged the group was "verbally antagonistic" and events escalated when the 19-year-old girl, Marilyn Levias, tried to walk away.
The younger girl tried to intervene as Walsh attempted to handcuff Levias, and as the officer struggled to contain the situation he eventually lashed out and hit the 17-year-old girl with a single blow to the face.
Walsh is to be transferred to the police department's training section to "review the tactics that he has been taught" while investigations continue, police said.
The incident comes in the wake of recent allegations of brutality by Seattle officers, including the assault of an unarmed man on the ground and a teenage girl's assault in a cell - both captured on video.
Officials of two pressure groups who oppose police profiling of African-Americans convened a news conference to protest the officer's actions, even if they were a tactic taught in police training.
"That appears to be an overreaction to what appears to be a non-violent jaywalking situation," said James Kelly, president and CEO of the Urban League of Seattle.
"Unfortunately this seems to become too far and too often of the typical police response.
"The provocation of the 17-year-old may have presented a confrontation situation but the violence in the form of a full-blown fist to the face was wrong."
YouTube footage of Monday's incident has already attracted over 264,000 views with more than 6,600 comments being posted about the event.
The 19-year-old woman was charged with obstructing an officer while the 17-year-old girl was booked into the Youth Service Centre pending investigation of assault on an officer, and both were cited for jaywalking.
