“Black 17-Year-Old Tased by Worcester Police in Kendrick Field Fight”

Body camera footage obtained from Worcester police shows the moment an officer used a Taser on a Black 17-year-old following a fight at Kendrick Field on June 12. The videos, though redacted, show the officer speaking with witnesses before the incident. The teen’s family confronted the police after the Taser was used, expressing their outrage. The 17-year-old was charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace. Ryan Mancini | RMancini@masslive.com reported

The body camera footage obtained by the news outlet Patch reveals the incident when a Black 17-year-old was subjected to a Taser by a Worcester police officer after a fight broke out at Kendrick Field on Brooks Street on June 12. The police were called to the scene around 7:30 p.m. in response to a report of a large fight at the baseball field. Patch was able to acquire the body camera footage from the officer who deployed the Taser, as well as another officer, through a public records request. Although the videos have been heavily edited with blurred bodies and faces, and some audio removed, they provide a 30-minute account of the officer’s interactions with witnesses.

According to Jim Kelly, the coach of the Joe Schwartz Little League team, the fight at Kendrick Field occurred after players lined up to shake hands with the players from the Lou Gehrig Little League team following a game. Kelly informed the police that there was a strained relationship between the two teams, and that Gehrig parents had previously made threats to shoot the umpires during a game against Schwartz.

The altercation began when a Gehrig player shoulder-barged a Schwartz team member, as stated by Kelly to the police. A man associated with the tackling of the Gehrig coach interrupted an officer who was interviewing a witness, claiming that the Gehrig coach had made threatening remarks.

After speaking with the two individuals connected to the Schwartz team, the men, along with other parents and teenagers, were allowed by the police to leave the field, as shown in the footage available on YouTube. One of the men informed the officers that he had been approached by the Lou Gehrig team’s coach, who allegedly pointed his finger at him before raising his fist. In response, the man tackled him.

Approximately 14 minutes into the video, the family of the 17-year-old approached the officers, demanding to know who had assaulted their son. Subsequently, the teenager appeared and began running across the field, with the police giving chase. The officer behind his body camera warned the teen that he would be tased if he didn’t back up. When the warning was ignored, the officer drew his Taser and fired, causing the teenager to fall to the ground. The teen’s mother, witnessing this, yelled that her son had a heart condition, and she raised her phone to record the police. While one officer handcuffed the teenager, the mother confronted the officer who had used the Taser, striking her chest and demanding to be tased herself.

The parents claimed that their son had “mental problems” and had become upset when someone hit his brother, causing him to “black out.” After the teenager’s arrest, his mother informed the officer that she intended to press charges and demanded the badge numbers of the officers involved.

The mother expressed her anger towards the officers, stating that they had tased a 17-year-old with mental health issues who was on medication, while failing to take similar action against the individual who had allegedly assaulted her son. She accused the police of using excessive force and questioned their actions.

The video captured the teen apologizing to the police for his behavior, to which the officer who had fired the Taser accepted the apology. The officers then moved the 17-year-old to the edge of the parking lot.

In their official statement on June 13, the Worcester police reported that the adult injured in the scuffle had only sustained minor injuries. The police further explained that a small group of family members had become aggressive after being informed that their relative had been punched on the field, which led to the teenager charging towards them.

According to the police statement, an officer pursued the teenager, repeatedly instructing him to stop. The officer positioned himself between the teenager and the other party in order to protect the group. Despite the officer’s efforts to restrain the teen, he managed to escape the officer’s grasp. As tensions escalated, the officer warned that he would use the Taser if the teenager attempted to assault the group. Believing the teen was about to run past him and attack the others, the officer deployed his Taser to prevent the imminent assault.

The 17-year-old now faces charges of assault, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace. The ensuing investigation resulted in two males from Worcester, aged 22 and 45, being summoned for assault and battery..