Police probe video showing officers attacking group of young girls with baton and Tasers as fight breaks out on Rotherham street
Police are investigating video showing officers attacking a group of teenage girls with batons and stun guns in a violent brawl in Rotherham.
South Yorkshire Police said the footage was “shocking” as it launched an investigation into the incident.
The footage was shared on social media over the weekend, with viewers accusing officers of using excessive force against the young girls.
In the clip, a police officer is seen arguing with a group and telling them: ‘You are being dispersed for disturbing the peace.’
One of the girls starts pushing a police officer, who pushes her back forcefully, causing her to stumble.
The officer pushes two other girls, who respond by walking toward him and shouting angrily in his face.
Later, a bystander accuses the police of ‘challenging the girls’.
As more people surround him, the officer angrily pulls out his baton and throws it at the group.
Police are investigating video showing officers attacking a group of teenage girls with batons and stun guns
South Yorkshire Police say images shared widely online are ‘shocking’
Two of the girls tried to take the baton from him, but he dodged it, causing one girl to fall onto the road.
The man filming the action shouts: ‘He’s got the baton. What are they doing?’
He then stood up with his baton raised and forcibly pushed another girl.
At this point another officer was pushed by someone in the group and responded by aggressively punching him and pushing him backwards, causing him to fall to the ground.
Two police officers dressed in black then arrived and pointed Tasers towards the group, ordering people to ‘get back’.
South Yorkshire Police said: ‘The short clip on social media of the police response to the incident in Rotherham at the weekend appears shocking.
‘Our PSD examines all available footage, including this and the Body Worn Video, of the entire response to the 999 call to understand what happened before, during and after what was publicly available.
‘Their assessment will inform our next steps. At South Yorkshire Police we want our officers to be professional and their actions to be lawful, proportionate and fair. ‘
