After a confrontation over alleged vaping, an Atlanta police officer used her Taser on a 17-year-old at a skate park Thursday afternoon.
The teenager was in a city park near the Beltline when an officer approached to advise him that he could not vape there. The boy walked away and allegedly continued to vape.
When the officer asked for identification in order to issue a ticket, the 17-year-old refused to comply. The officer then tried to detain him but he physically resisted the officer’s efforts, according to a statement released by the Atlanta Police Department.
The teen continued resisting and the officer eventually deployed her Taser, police said. The teen then was placed into handcuffs “without further incident,” the statement said.
Apparent videos of the event have been circulating on social media, showing the officer pulling out a Taser and using it on the teen.
A second video apparently shows the officer detaining the boy.
Atlanta police are reviewing the videos from social media to further investigate the incident. The teenager was cited on a charge of disorderly conduct, according to police.
In Georgia, it is illegal for people under the age of 21 to purchase or own vaping devices. In Atlanta, there is a city ordinance stating that vaping is not allowed in public parks. Initial police reports did not indicate at which park the incident occurred nor a specific address.
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