officer

Officer Fires Taser at Teen Outside Long Island High School, Video Shows

The cell phone video shows the teen collapsing to the pavement as he is hit with the Taser

What to Know

  • Cell phone video shows a Suffolk County Police officer firing a Taser at a teen at Copiague High School, police confirmed
  • Police said the teen has been charged with harassment, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana
  • Police said they're investigating the incident, and Copiague Public Schools had no comment

New video shows a Suffolk County Police officer using a Taser on a high school student during an altercation, authorities confirmed.

Suffolk Police Assistant Deputy Commissioner Justin Meyers said the video shows the end of the incident at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School on Wednesday afternoon.

Meyers said police were responding to reports of a crowd fight off school property when officers saw the teen smoking marijuana. The teen ran away from the officers and onto school grounds, according to police. The cell video starts moments later.

In the video, the 16-year-old student can be seen shoving the unnamed officer inside the entrance of the school as students and staff look on. The officer tries to grab the teen, handcuffs in hand, and the teen slips out of his shirt and runs outside.

A few seconds later, the officer pulls out his Taser and fires it at the teen, who is standing nearby. The teen screams and collapses to the ground. He doesn’t appear to be seriously injured as he lies face-down on the sidewalk and responds to the officer's commands.

A woman can be heard screaming “keep your hands up!” as the officer points the Taser at the teen. He is then placed under arrest.

During the altercation an unidentified man is heard telling the person recording the video to put his phone away, but he refuses and continues recording as the teen is walked away by officers.

The bystander video, a series of video clips, lasts for about 6 minutes, with the altercation taking place in the first minute and the teen being led by officers over the course of the final five minutes.

The end of the video shows the teen handcuffed with a group of Suffolk County officers as they get ready to place him in a police cruiser.

The teen was charged with harassment, resisting arrest and criminal possession of marijuana. He is reportedly a student who takes night classes at the school.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges at his arraignment in Central Islip District Court Thursday afternoon. The teen remains jailed on $3,000 cash bail. 

He was being represented by Legal Aid, which typically does not comment on ongoing cases. 

Meyers said that police are still investigating the incident.

A spokesperson for Copiague Public Schools had no comment but confirmed that the incident began after school and off school grounds, and that the student ran from police onto school property.

Contact Us