Florida deputies who broke black teen's nose in violent arrest could face prosecution
White sheriff's deputies who were captured on cellphone video pepper-spraying and punching a black teen in Florida last week could face prosecution. All charges against the 15-year-old they were arresting have been dropped.
Ninth-grader Delucca Rolle's family said they're grateful he's clear of all charges, including assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. Two of the deputies involved in the violent arrest are now suspended with pay as critics demand they be fired and held accountable.
Before throwing Delucca to the ground, other videos appear to show a second deputy slamming the teen's head into the pavement – breaking his nose.
Clintina Rolle, Delucca's mother, told CBS News' Mark Strassmann the videos were painful to watch. She heard about her son's arrest when one of the deputies called her.
"I said, 'Sir, I don't believe my son hit the officer, that don't sound like him. He said, 'Oh you're telling me I'm lying, huh? You're telling me I'm lying?" Clintina said.
Deputies were arresting a different teen for trespassing. When his cellphone fell to the ground, Delucca reached down to pick it up.
The police report accused him of taking "an aggressive stance" and "clenching his fists." The deputy said punching him was a "distractionary technique" to get him handcuffed. Critics say the video showed nothing aggressive about Delucca's behavior.
The family's attorney, Ben Crump, said he believes "the whole situation would have been treated differently" if Delucca were white. "That's why black leaders in South Florida and all over America are up in arms over this."
His mother wants the deputies fired.
"They are supposed to set example for us, they aren't supposed to be doing that," she said. "You know, to see somebody who is supposed to be protecting my child hurt my child, and it's all I want is justice for him.
City commissioners in Tamarac demanded a third deputy involved in the arrest be banned from working in the city. The sheriff refused. He said his investigation is incomplete and his deputies deserve due process.
