Video appears to show Texas officer striking girl

Published 7:40 am Thursday, May 25, 2017

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Police Department is reviewing police body camera footage after a bystander posted video online that appears to show an officer punching an eighth-grade girl three or four times outside a birthday party last weekend.

Mayor Ivy Taylor issued a statement saying the video “is hard to watch and listen to” and that the department is reviewing the police body camera footage to determine exactly what happened.

The grainy footage was shot late Saturday outside an event center where authorities say officers were called about men fighting at a quinceanera, a Hispanic tradition of celebrating a girl’s 15th birthday.

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The 14-year-old girl was arrested on a charge of assaulting a public servant, a San Antonio police spokeswoman said.