Viral Video Shows Off Duty Officer With His Knee In A Teens Back After He Mistakingly Thought He Stole His Sons Bike

An internal investigation is underway by the Chicago Police Department. This is after a man, who said he was an off-duty police officer, held a boy on the ground.

Cell phone recordings show the unidentified man pinning the boy to the ground outside of a Starbucks in Park Ridge, IL. The alleged officer could be seen with his knee in the teen’s back.

The teen’s mother, Nicole Nieves, said that the incident occurred on Friday when the boy moved an abandoned bike that was obstructing a sidewalk. She stated that the man thought that the boy was stealing the bike even though he had his own bike right next to him.

“This adult did not use words-he used force; he used his hands. Grabbed our son’s wrists, body slammed him, then held him down with his knee to forcibly restrain him…,” the mother noted.

In the video, the boy’s friends are heard trying to defend him.

It is believed that the man’s own son’s bike had recently been stolen near the location.

Nieves thinks that her son was racially profiled because of his long curly hair and dark skin. “We’ve talked to our three Puerto Rican boys about this moment for years…We can’t possibly put into words how we’re feeling-disgust, anger, frustration, outrage, fear, sadness…”

The Chicago Police will continue to investigate the matter.