Florida cops seen pushing 18-year-old off roof, tasing him after he hits the ground in horrific bodycam video
KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA: A police officer in Florida reportedly pushed an 18-year-old off the roof of his Florida home after he was accused of taking his girlfriend's car without permission.
The Kissimmee Police Department has since released a statement saying that the incident should never have happened and the officers involved in the incident have been disciplined.
When officers arrived at Yadiel Torres' home to get his side of the story, the 18-year-old reportedly ran upstairs and climbed through the window onto the roof. It was then that the officer running behind him was ordered by his colleague to "push him off".
Police body camera footage released by the department showed the man sitting on the edge of the roof, nearly nine feet above the ground with his feet dangling over the edge, when he was pushed without warning.
Officers can be heard urging Torres to "come down". They shouted, "You're going to get tased and you're going to fall. So, you better jump!"
Torres, however, refuses to jump down to the patio below where another officer, Sgt. Anthony Amada, was waiting for him, according to WFTV.
"Now you've got no choice but to jump down. Now you've got no choice," Officer Plenio Massiah Massiah, who was on the roof along with Torres, says.
Officer Amada can then be heard saying: "Push him off the roof! Push him off! Just push him off! Push him off!"
The video then shows Massiah placing his right hand on Torres' right shoulder and pushing him off the roof to the ground below.
As the 18-year-old hits the concrete, Officer Amada proceeds to taser him.
"All right, hey, I'm down. I'm not resisting," Torres can be heard screaming as the officer tasers him.
Kissimmee police department later acknowledged that both the officers wrongfully put Torres in danger. Although Torres was not injured in the fall, the police chief said that he could have been gravely wounded.
An internal investigation has been launched into the actions of the officer and the sergeant. According to an internal report, Massiah had feared that there could have been a struggle between him and Torres while they were on the roof, leading both of them to fall off.
The police department reportedly docked Massiah for eight hours vacation time "for failing to follow KPD general order." Police Chief Jeff O'Dell said, "Massiah's decision to push the suspect off the roof could have resulted in significant injury."
Meanwhile, Amada, who had 14 years of experience with the force, resigned from the department in June this year.