NSW Police Officer Charged Over 'Concerning' Arrest Of Teenage Indigenous Boy

A New South Wales police officer has been charged over the arrest of a teenage Indigenous boy last year.

Video footage of the incident went viral in June and showed the cop do a 'leg sweep' move to get the then 17-year-old boy on the floor.

According to News Corp, the teenager was with a group in a Surry Hills park in Sydney, who were arguing with the police officer and accused him of swearing at them.

The teen is alleged to have said, 'I'll crack you in the f***ing jaw, bro' before the officer arrested him and threw him on the ground.

The officer, who had a clean record and no issues in the past, was placed on restricted duties as an internal investigation is carried out.

He has since been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault, and was served with a court attendance notice.

NSW Police said the officer's employment is 'under review', according to the ABC.

The teenager had to be taken to St Vincent's Hospital after the arrest for treatment for his injuries. He was eventually released without charge.

The police force issued a near immediate apology, with NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller telling 2GB Radio at the time, the evidence of the arrest was damning.

"You look at the video and it is concerning, there's no doubt about that," he said. "Certainly there were probably other ways that the officer could have dealt with that matter, no doubt.

"You'd have to say [the police officer] had a bad day, and I'm sure most of the community wouldn't want to see someone who's made a mistake sacked after making such a commitment to the community."

The incident also came at the height of tensions in America between police and the wider community.

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Protests had erupted in multiple cities following the death of George Floyd, forcing Australia to have discussions about our past and present issues with race.

But Commissioner Fuller's deputy, Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing, was concerned the 17-year-old's arrest was going to be turned into something else.

Mr Willing said: "We're all aware of incidents that have taken place in the United States over the past week and we're aware of the sensitivities around what's occurring overseas.

"Am I concerned about what I'm seeing in the footage? Absolutely. But I'm equally concerned about others who may use the footage to inflame it and turn it into something it's not."

The teenage boy's family has welcomed the charges being laid, with a spokesperson saying in a statement: "We look forward to the law being applied with fairness and justice."

The officer will appear in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on June 24.

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Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie