Distressing body camera footage captured the moment an Ohio police officer slammed a black teenager’s head into the sidewalk, leaving him bloodied, for a simple traffic violation.
Footage released by the Columbus Police Department also shows Officer Donovan Bever grabbing the 14-year-old by his hair and dragging him by his dreadlocks toward his patrol car on February 19.
Throughout the video, the teen could be heard pleading with Bever, telling him “I’m sorry” and “I’ll comply.”
He was left with a bloody nose and the ground beneath him was splattered with his blood.
Bever was suspended just hours after the incident and was eventually fired from the police force on June 10.
A Columbus police officer was fired after body camera footage showed him slamming a black teenager’s head into the sidewalk.
Police say the violent arrest began when Bever and his partner saw a group of teenagers loitering on the street in a crosswalk near an apartment complex around 4 p.m. on February 19.
The police officers approached the teens and told them, “Let’s chat,” causing the teens to flee. according to the Columbus Dispatch.
The unidentified companion then exited the patrol car and pursued the teens on foot, while Bever pursued them.
The other police officer eventually caught up to two of the teens, pulled out his gun, and pointed it at the children while ordering them to get on the ground.
‘Get on the ground or I’ll shoot you,’ the police officer told the teenagers. NBC 4 reports.
Both teens obeyed his commands and were on the ground when Bever’s body camera showed him stopping in the residential neighborhood where the boys were detained.
Officer Donovan Bever ran to where his partner had detained two suspects on Feb. 19 with his gun drawn.
Body camera footage shows him grabbing a 14-year-old boy by the hair and slamming his face into the ground.
He was seen running towards the scene with his gun in his hand, and although the children were already on the ground, Bever ran towards one, leaned over, grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the ground.
The teen could be seen moaning in pain as Bever handcuffed him while holding him by his hair and told the officer, “Ow, you hit my face.”
“I’m bleeding, damn,” he repeats again, as Bever begins to dig through his pockets.
The teen is already visibly bleeding from the mouth when Bever pulls a phone charger and another unidentified item out of the boy’s pants and throws them in the boy’s face.
Police say he also punched the teen in the groin.
Bever then grabbed the teen by his dreadlocks as he led him toward his patrol car.
Throughout the arrest, the teen tries to tell the officer that he is complying and “I won’t do it again.”
When Bever finally asks the teen if he’s okay, he says yes, but asks the cop not to do that again “because that hurt me.”
‘And for what brother? It wasn’t that serious,’ says the teenager.
At that moment, Bever could be seen grabbing the teen by his dreadlocks as he led him toward his patrol car, telling the boy that he won’t let him get away again.
He then proceeded to ask the boy, ‘Do you have AIDS?’ NBC 4 reports.
Once safely in the transport vehicle, the teen asked for another officer, saying he didn’t trust Bever.
Bever has faced three citizen complaints during his time on the force.
Within hours of the arrest, Bever was placed on administrative leave. Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti fired him on June 10.
“Our community deserves better and that 14-year-old boy deserved better,” he said.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant also criticized the officers’ actions, saying none had any reason to draw weapons or use force.
She suggested they should have stopped their vehicle and spoken politely to the children about pedestrian laws.
“I was angry, disappointed, upset,” she told the Dispatch upon viewing the body camera footage.
‘This is not what we reflect as the Columbus Police Division. Most of our officers have excellent relationships with our community.’
He also said the department spoke with the 14-year-old boy’s grandmother, his legal guardian, immediately after the incident.
“They were disappointed by the officer’s actions, but were relieved and pleased with the quick action the department and the public safety director took to address the issue.”
But this isn’t the first time Bever has been reprimanded for his actions.
He has faced three citizen complaints during his time on the force, two of which reported harassment and use of profanity or foul language.
His former supervisor also once warned him about his language, and in November 2021, Bever violated department policy by “continuously insulting the arrestee while detaining him,” the Dispatch reports.
Then, during a performance review in April 2022, Bever received “constructive feedback” about his interactions with the public, and the department arranged for him to be retrained in de-escalation and verbal confrontation tactics.
It is unclear whether Bever’s partner will also be reprimanded.
DailyMail.com has contacted Columbus police for more information.
