BRPD on video punching juvenile at Earth Day - UPDATE in the OP

quote:

---

A video first published by The Rouge Collection appears to show a person being held face-down on grass and beaten in the head by an officer several times as other lawmen rush to hold down or surround the subject.

Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman Sgt. Don Coppola acknowledged the incident that appeared to be depicted in the video and said Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. has begun an internal investigation into the case.

The teenager, whom he could not identify because the boy is a minor, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Juvenile Detention center on counts of battery on a police officer and resisting a police officer with violence or force, said Coppola, who said he did not have details on what the teenager is accused of doing.

---

quote:

---

Danielle Todd said the video shows an incident involving her son, Ja’Colby Davis, during the celebration in downtown. She said Davis and her other son happened to be near a fight that broke out and they backed away. Davis was grabbed by an officer, and the teen asked why he was being touched, protesting that he didn’t do anything, she said.

“He wasn’t fighting at all,” Todd said.

---

quote:

---

Update, 10:50 a.m.: The BRPD has placed Sgt. Todd Bourgoyne on administrative leave in the internal investigation into this incident, said Sgt. Don Coppola.

Bourgoyne has served with the department for 22 years and was assigned to the traffic division, Coppola said. Coppola did not provide information as to what role Bourgoyne played in the event.

---