Black celebrities are speaking out following the brutal takedown of a Black teenager by White deputies in Broward County, Florida.
The incident occurred on April 19, 2019, at a McDonald’s where a group of teens gathered after school to watch two teens fight. At some point, Deputy Christopher Krickovich and Sgt. Greg LaCerra arrested one of the teens after his phone dropped out of his pocket.
A 15-year-old was attempting to pick up the phone when Krickovich and LaCerra grabbed him, slammed him to the ground and punched him in the head several times before handcuffing and arresting him. Krickovich and LaCerra claimed they were surrounded by 200 students at the time and feared for their safety.
The next day, the 15-year-old appeared in court, where he was formally charged with assault, resisting arrest and trespassing.
The beatdown was captured on video and eventually went viral, sparking a public outcry on social media and the hashtag #JusticeForLucca.
Many have called for Krickovich and LaCerra to be fired, however, the deputies were only moved to other positions within their unit.
In a statement, Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen spoke out against the officers’ abusive treatment of the teenager.
“The behavior of these Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies was outrageous and unacceptable,” Bogen’s statement read. “The officer who jumped on the student punched the student and banged his head to the ground should be fired immediately. There is no excuse for a law enforcement officer to harm a teenager who was on the ground and who gave no resistance. I also have a problem with the deputy who threw the student to the ground after he pepper-sprayed him. After being sprayed, the teen held his face and walked away. If the deputy wanted to arrest the student, he could have easily done so without throwing him to the ground. I hope the appropriate authorities investigate this conduct and take the appropriate action.”
Black celebrities, including LeBron James and Gabrielle Union, have also shared their thoughts on the abuse inflicted by Krickovich and LaCerra.
The Florida deputy who assaulted unarmed teen #Lucca has been “reassigned”. That’s not enough! He needs to be fired. He has no business carrying a gun & holding people’s lives in his hands. RT #ProtectAndServe #JusticeForLucca @TheJusticeDept @JusticeOIG @DOJ_CRS
— Anika Noni Rose (@AnikaNoniRose) April 22, 2019
So wrong!! Hurts me to my soul!! To think that could be my sons. 🤦🏾♂️😢. Scary times man https://t.co/tRxk6sV7sb
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 20, 2019
👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾 Our boys go to school in Broward county… man listen 😤😤😤😤 The RAGE, the fear, but yall the RAGE… There better be swift punishment against these officers. If you believe in “bad apples” I need alllll the good apples to STAND UP and start hollering https://t.co/UdMnrsVCvA
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) April 20, 2019
