Family of man kicked and tased by police officer in viral video plan legal action against City of Peekskill
City Councilman Ramon Fernandez, who also used to sit on the city's police reform committee, said it appears the officer escalated the situation and proceeded to use excessive force.
More Stories
Peekskill City officials spoke with News 12 Friday about a widely circulated video that shows a police officer tasing and kicking a man at Riverfront Green Park.
"What I saw was very concerning," Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie said Friday afternoon.
The officer, whose name has not been released, tells the man to lay face down, and when the man refuses, the officer tases the man, kicks him repeatedly and yells expletives.
Mayor McKenzie said someone waved down police to respond to the park's gazebo Wednesday because the man may have been in some sort of distress and might have needed help.
She is unsure of whether the man had been bothering others at the park prior to the police response.
McKenzie is asking the community not to assume too much until the Westchester County District Attorney's office finishes its investigation into the officer's actions.
The officer was placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
"Lets hold on until we know exactly what happened," McKenzie said, "and then take the next steps, but we are looking to ensure that if there's any wrongdoing, everyone is held accountable."
City Councilman Ramon Fernandez, who also used to sit on the city's police reform committee, said it appears the officer escalated the situation and proceeded to use excessive force.
"Many of those officers don't identify with that kind of action," he said, "because that kind of action separates the community from the police and they don't want that."
Family and friends of the man who was being kicked and tased said the man has been working through emotional issues and requested that his name not be released yet.
A relative of the man said he is achy but recovering from his injuries, adding that the family is planning to take legal action against the city.
