Officer Caught on Cam Beating Up Smart Mouth Teen

Springfield, IL. – Springfield Police Department released body camera footage from an incident last month that led to the arrest of one of its officers.

Springfield police responded to a domestic disturbance call in the 2100 block of East Stuart Street on Feb. 27. During the initial investigation at the scene, Officer Samuel Rosario engaged in a verbal argument with a 19-year-old boy. Irate with the fact that the mother’s daughter has not been put into Juvenile Detention, the 19-year-old male demeans the officers at the scene stating they are not doing their job.

After constant belittling, Officer Rosario seems to have had enough and verbally engages the teen and during the argument, walks up to him and pushes him. Officer Samuel Rosario then seems to try and deescalate the situation as he continues speaking to the mother who initially called explaining what they will do if they can find her daughter. Having already been pushed, the teen demands the badge number and Officer Rosario refuses to give it to him but instead offers to have the teen fight him 1V1 style with no repercussions. “You want these hands? You can have ’em … you a b****.” Rosario is seen walking toward the teen and appears to push him, saying, “Did I not just touch you?”

That is when the altercation between officer and teenager “escalates into a physical encounter.” An unseen woman at the home shouts, “He started it first, police did … the rookie started first … that’s assault and battery.” Toward the end of the video, Rosario says, “Dude, I felt bad for you, that’s why I stopped hitting you.” Rosario was arrested and charged with two counts of battery and one count of official misconduct the following morning. According to Springfield police, Rosario is on unpaid administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation. Illinois State Police have concluded their criminal investigation into the matter. “This incident does not depict the actions of the hard-working men and women of the Springfield Police Department,” Springfield police said in a statement.

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