Two white Florida deputies are being investigated after a video circulated on social media showing them throwing a black teenager to the ground, forcibly pushing his head into concrete, and arresting him while in the middle of an arrest of another black youth.
Christopher Krickovich has been placed on restricted assignment, according to the Sun Sentinel, while the incident is under review. The status of the other deputy, Greg LaCerra, has not been disclosed.
The victim, identified on Twitter as DeLucca — or Lucca for short — by activist and Church of God bishop Talbert Swan, was said to have “bladed his body and began clenching his fists” after approaching the deputies while they were arresting another black teenager for a trespassing complaint. Swan claimed Lucca simply approached and picked up the cell phone dropped by the unidentified teen being arrested, which led to Krickovich and LaCerra pepper-spraying and tackling Lucca to the ground.
“15 yr old Black boy, Lucca picked up a cell phone that fell out of the pocket of a Black boy who was being arrested,” Swan tweeted. “In response @browardsheriff officers Christopher Krickovich & Greg LaCerra pepper sprayed, brutally beat, and arrested him. He broke no laws. #JusticeForLucca.”
15 yr old Black boy, Lucca picked up a cell phone that fell out of the pocket of a Black boy who was being arrested. In response @browardsheriff officers Christopher Krickovich & Greg LaCerra pepper sprayed, brutally beat, and arrested him.
He broke no laws.#JusticeForLucca pic.twitter.com/RQLj38GYGN
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 20, 2019
The two deputies were surrounded by onlookers, but no one in the crowd moved to stop them from arresting the teenagers. Lucca was reportedly arrested on charges of assaulting an officer. In a second video, also posted by Swan, a different angle of the incident shows Lucca bent over before being shoved out of the way by one of the deputies. When Lucca stands up, the deputy draws his pepper spray and sprays the substance in Lucca’s face before grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. Bystanders began to scream when Lucca started bleeding from his head injury.
Here’s another angle that shows @browardsheriff’s deputy pepper spraying unarmed Black boy, Lucca, who posed no threat. He then slammed his head into the concrete, arrested him & charged him with ASSAULTING the cops.
This is brutality.#JusticeForLucca pic.twitter.com/SYMjfdkNKZ
— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) April 20, 2019
In a pre-planned meeting with black community leaders, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony promised a transparent investigation that would be handled in a “very tactful” way.
“It’s going to be done the right way,” Tony said. “I’m not going to sit and try to brush anything under the table. The facts are what they are.”
Celebrities have spoken out on the video, including NBA coach Steve Kerr and NBA player LeBron James, in what is the latest instance of police using questionable force against minorities.
“So wrong!! Hurts me to my soul!!” James tweeted in response to Kerr. “To think that could be my sons. Scary times man.”
So wrong!! Hurts me to my soul!! To think that could be my sons. ??♂️?. Scary times man https://t.co/tRxk6sV7sb
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 20, 2019
Swan shared a Change.org petition asking Broward County to fire the two deputies involved in the incident and dropping the charges against Lucca. The petition currently has over 24,000 signatures.
