Police in Hagerstown, Maryland are catching a lot of flack this week because of the treatment of a teen girl. The unidentified teen was riding her bike when she was hit by a car and briefly knocked unconscious. Police responded to the scene and then a bizarre episode of brutalizing a victim took place. The teen is reported to have refused medical treatment but the officers allegedly stated that she could not refuse treatment because she was a minor.
As a bystander records the encounter, the teen is forcibly handcuffed and put into a police car. An unidentified officer tries to explain to the person filming that they had to take her to the hospital to be checked by medical staff. However, the teen girl is heard screaming that she wants to be let go and the officers refuse. Because she would not put her legs in the patrol car she is seen being pepper sprayed by one of the officers who is reportedly trying to get her medical help. After he sprays the teen he then closes the door to the patrol car as she screams “Oh my God I can’t breathe”.
However, instead of being taken to a hospital, she was taken to the police station and booked into custody, The 15-year-old honor student was charged with disorderly conduct, two counts of second-degree assault, possession of marijuana and failure to obey a traffic device.
The teen is being represented by the Robin Flicker Law Office who posted the video of the encounter on its social media page. A statement on the page from the law firm reads, “This little girl, 5 ft. 105 lbs, was brutalized by Hagerstown police after, she, on her bike, was hit by a car, but refused medical treatment. They slammed her against a wall, arrested her for refusing treatment, maced her 4 times in the police car while handcuffed, and took her to the police station instead of the hospital!”
An official report has not been issued and the teen was released to her parents a few hours after the incident. It was only then that she was able to wash the pepper spray from her eyes. Hagerstown Police Capt. Tom Langston stated, “We’re reviewing the body camera footage.”
According to Ficker, medical records provided by the girl’s mother show she was arrested for failing to provide police with insurance information.
