Krickovich wrote in a report that a 15-year-old boy in a red tank top approached the deputies while they were arresting another boy on a trespassing charge. The 15-year-old “took an aggressive stance” toward LaCerra, “bladed his body and began clenching his fists,” Krickovich wrote. At that point, one of the deputies pepper-sprayed and “quickly jumped on the male with the red tank top,” Krickovich wrote, saying he was fearing for his safety.<doc-sep>“If someone is given a trespass warning, state law says that’s a violation. We’re sworn to uphold the Constitution. We’re expected to do our job. What you’re seeing here, in this instance, is nothing but the end result of this PROMISE program and civil citations … where juveniles can get six to seven criminal charges a year without any consequences. So of course they’re going to act out like this and feel empowered. They know nothing is going to happen to them. So why should they listen to us?”<doc-sep>FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony addressed the Tamarac commission Wednesday over their concerns after three of the department’s deputies were seen in a video that went viral spraying a teen with pepper spray before forcing him to the ground and pushing his head into the pavement. Tony told the commission that he would not jump ahead of the standard protocols for providing due process for the deputies involved. “I’ve had a chance to witness a lot of different demands about how we need to respond immediately. I’ve responded immediately. We have already started an internal affairs investigation, we are working with the State Attorney ensuring that the criminal charges were suitable, to make sure that the deputies responded in compliance with our policies for the use of force, and so as we continue to work this investigation things may change as they did yesterday. The deputies who were involved went from being on restricted duty to being suspended now,” he said. That development came less than two hours after Broward prosecutors announced that they would not file criminal charges against the teen who was pepper sprayed That decision came hours after the teen, his mother, aunt, and attorney met with prosecutors. Supporters of the teen say the video shows he did nothing wrong when he stopped to pick up a cellphone dropped by another teen who was arrested by BSO in Tamarac last week. BSO’s official report says the teen bladed his body and clenched his fists prior to being pepper sprayed. WATCH: TEEN PEPPER SPRAYED, HEAD SLAMMED INTO GROUND DURING ARREST Tony said there may be other disciplinary action to come but that would be determined by the findings of their internal affairs investigation and not the court of public opinion. “For everybody to say just go head out and execute the public opinion’s needs is not going to happen on my watch. I owe it to the deputies, whether they were wrong or not, to ensure that they get their due process elements that are articulated by law, not by an opinion, not by someone’s independent expectation,” he said. Tony said it’s very easy for people to demand that the sheriff’s office fire the deputies. He said a lot of elected officials have jumped ahead and he thinks that’s inflammatory. “I also have the responsibility to make sure that we don’t get 50 more kids out in the community picketing and rioting and feeling as though their chief law enforcement officer is not sympathetic to their needs, not sympathetic to their concerns,” he said. WATCH: BROWARD SHERIFF GREGORY TONY ADDRESS TAMARAC COMMISSION Tony told the commission he was appointed sheriff for accountability, to take leadership and lead the department forward by being objective, fair, and holding all employees to the same standard. “I’m not here to speak in terms of politics. The community will get their just desserts and so will the deputies,” he said. Tony said he understands the situation is very intense and has an emotional side to it, but it’s important not to lose focus on justice for all. The sheriff also said he disagreed with State Attorney’s decision to drop charges against teen before internal affairs finished their review. Commissioner Mike Gelin asked his fellow commissioners support him in his request to have the deputies involved reassigned out of the city during the internal affairs investigation. “I will tell you that establishes a very poor precedent because what happens here in Tamarac will echo through the rest of Broward County and for every time we have an incident, do we want our commissioners and mayors to say remove the deputies when we know there is a process in place whereas if I remove them, they may be terminated or subject to criminal charges. These are the considerations that I have to take into account,” said Tony. In a 4-1 vote, the commission approved a letter that asked the City Manager to contact the sheriff’s office about reassigning the deputies involved. Tony’s appearance took a contentious turn when Commissioner Marlon Bolton asked why a third deputy, seen holding a teenager charged with trespassing, isn’t being investigated. “I will not stand here and be lectured to, about the law, the investigative practices, because no one up here has the experience that I have or my staff. So sir, you are out of line with the context of what you are demanding from me and I won’t accept it, said Tony. School board member Lori Alhadeff told the commission the students need more to do after school in light of the incident. School board member Dr. Rosalind Osgood said she was outraged over the incident and thinks the deputies should be charged with child abuse. Late Wednesday, CBS News spoke with the mother of the teen in the video. “I felt depressed and I was stunned because it’s my child and sometimes when you think its other people, only you think okay, but when you really feel the pain knowing that you carried that child and especially being a single mother raising a child like that and knowing you want the best, and looking at somebody who is supposed to protect your child hurt your child, it’s like I didn’t even eat yet just in depression and like whats going on,” said the boy’s mother.<doc-sep>Getty Images/iStockphoto The mayor of Florida’s Broward County has called for the firing of a sheriff deputy after a video of his violent arrest of teenagers at a McDonald’s went viral. In a video of the incident that took place on Thursday, the deputy can be seen punching and banging a teenager’s head on the ground during the arrest near J.P. Taravella High School in Tamarac #BREAKING: Cellphone video footage captured several rough arrests involving teens outside of a McDonald’s in Tamarac near JP Taravella High School. STORY: https://t.co/UWoGhMrRGL pic.twitter.com/iOU0zE5fNQ— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) April 18, 2019 Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a disturbance outside the McDonald’s. According to WSVN, the students from the high school had congregated at the fast food restaurant to see a planned fight. “The behavior of these Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies was outrageous and unacceptable,” Broward Mayor Mark Bogen said in a statement. “The officer who jumped on the student, punched the student and banged his head to the ground should be fired immediately.” Loading the player... The behavior of these BSO deputies is outrageous & unacceptable The officer who jumped the student, punched & banged his head should be fired. I have a problem with the deputy who threw him to the ground after he pepper sprayed him He could’ve easily arrested him after the spray. https://t.co/NaZKeDaymi— Mayor Mark Bogen (@mark_bogen) April 19, 2019 The video starts with one student being handcuffed on the ground. Then as another male teen approaches, the same officer pepper-sprays him in the face. The teen was then tackled to the ground, as another officer rushes to force the boy’s neck to the ground. The first officer has been identified as Christopher Krickovich, and he has been placed on a restrictive administrative assignment until an investigation is conducted. Sheriff Gregory Tony is committed to accountability in every case and at all times. We vow to conduct an open, transparent and thorough investigation into the incident that occurred April 18 in Tamarac. The deputy has been placed on restrictive administrative assignment. pic.twitter.com/9i4LPY4aGl— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) April 19, 2019 Two teens were arrested and one has been identified simply as “Lucca”. One was charged with trespassing, the other with assaulting an officer and obstruction without violence. Twitter user Markese Ture explained what he saw happen in an Instagram post. “He’s a kind, sweet soul. He bent down to pick up the cell phone of another boy who was also wrongly arrested,” Instagram user Markese Ture wrote. “[…] When he stood up, the officer sprayed his face with pepper spray then proceeded to brutally assault him. These kids were gathered at a local McDonald’s after school when police showed up. Lucca broke no laws. Was unarmed. Non-violent.” Sheriff Gregory Tony is committed to accountability in every case and at all times. We vow to conduct an open, transparent and thorough investigation into the incident that occurred April 18 in Tamarac. The deputy has been placed on restrictive administrative assignment. pic.twitter.com/9i4LPY4aGl— Broward Sheriff (@browardsheriff) April 19, 2019 “Over the next few days, this may take some time for us to look thoroughly into, but understand we will be transparent, and if folks need to be held accountable, it shall be done, so please be patient with us,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a Twitter video.<doc-sep>
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A Broward Sheriff deputy is now on restricted administrative assignment for Use of Force in the rough arrest of a Taravella High student in Tamarac and now Sheriff Gregory Tony is promising a “thorough investigation” into the incident caught on video. WATCH: BROWARD SHERIFF GREGORY TONY STATEMENT TO PUBLIC Sheriff Tony released a video Friday afternoon, taped by BSO without any reporters present, asking the community for patience as police conduct their investigation. In the video press release, Tony says he has seen all of the videos from social media platforms and read all of the comments. “I wanted to assure you that this incident is being conducted under thorough investigation. We will look at this as a fact-finding measure to be sure we hold folks accountable. I’m not reading from a script to you. Roughly 90 days ago, I was appointed to this position exclusively about accountability and that accountability will be held not just for sake of when we are right but in the cases when we may be wrong. So over the next few days, this may take some time to for us to look into, but understand that we will be transparent and if people need to be held accountable it shall be done so please be patient with us,” said Sheriff Tony in the video. Meantime, the Sheriff’s office has announced Deputy Christopher Krickovich has been placed on restricted administrative assignment for the tough taken down of a 15-year-old boy, after a group teens got into a confrontation with deputies outside a Tamarac fast food restaurant. The teen, who we are not naming because of his age, was charged with assault, resisting arrest, and trespassing. He appeared in court Friday morning and released to his parents. Sheriff’s deputies were sent to the McDonald’s, at 8375 N. Pine Island Road, just after 3 p.m. Thursday after someone called and said kids were fighting in the parking lot. The restaurant is a popular hang out for teens who got J.P. Taravella High School which is about a half a mile away. Watch Ty Russell’s report: Cellphone videos of the confrontation, posted on social media, shows a deputy detaining one of the teens outside the restaurant. That same deputy is confronted by another teen who he pepper sprays. The deputy is then seen body slamming the teen. Another deputy then pins the teen to the ground and punches him on the side of the head. The teen was transported to Coral Springs Medical Center. An arrest report gives the perspective from deputies. It states they were in the plaza because of a fight the day before when a car was damaged. Deputies say a student, who had been trespassed, was back and he was ordered on the ground without any problems. That’s when the student’s phone slid out of his pocket and the 15-year-old nearby tried to pick it up. A sergeant told that teen to stay back but he says the teen “bladed his body and began clenching his fists.” The teen was then pepper sprayed and forced onto the ground. A deputy got on top of him. The arrest report goes on to say deputies were threatened by a large crowd of 200 or more students. At the same time, deputies say, the teen on the ground was trying to free his arms. So, the deputy says he punched him in the head as a “distractionary technique”. “The behavior of these Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies was outrageous and unacceptable,” said Broward Mayor Mark Bogen. “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.” Broward County School Board member Rosalind Osgood posted on Twitter that the deputies involved should face consequences for their actions.