Harrowing body camera footage was captured the moment an Ohio officer slammed a black teenager’s head into the sidewalk, leaving him bloodied, for a simple traffic violation.
The footage released by Columbus police also shows Officer Donovan Bever grabbing the 14-year-old by his hair and dragging him by his dreadlocks into his patrol vehicle on Feb. 19.
Throughout the video, the teen could be heard pleading with Bever, telling him, “I’m sorry” and “I obey.”
He was left with a bloody nose and the ground beneath him splattered with his blood.
Bever was suspended within hours of the incident and ultimately fired from the police force on June 10.
A Columbus police officer was fired after body camera footage showed him slamming a black teenager’s head into the sidewalk
Police say the violent arrest began when Bever and his partner saw a group of teenagers hanging out in the street at a crosswalk near an apartment complex on February 19 around 4 p.m.
Police drove up to the teens and said, “Let’s talk,” prompting the teens to run away. according to the Columbus dispatch.
The unknown partner then exited the patrol vehicle and chased the teenage boys on foot, with Bever driving around in pursuit.
The other officer eventually caught up to two of the teens, pulled out his gun and pointed it at the boys while ordering them to get on the ground.
“Get on the ground or I’ll shoot you,” the officer told the teens, NBC 4 reports.
Both teens obeyed his commands and were already on the ground when Bever’s body camera showed him driving to the residential area where the boys were being held.
Officer Donovan Bever ran to the spot where his partner had arrested two suspects on February 19 with a gun drawn
Body camera footage shows him grabbing a 14-year-old by the hair and slamming his face into the ground
He was seen running toward the scene with his gun drawn – and even though the boys were already on the ground, Bever ran up to one of the boys, bent down, grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the ground.
The teen can be seen groaning in pain as Beaver cuffs him while holding him by his hair, telling the officer, “Ow, you hit me in the face.”
“I’m bleeding from my face,” he repeats again, as Bever begins to rummage through his pockets.
The teen is already visibly bleeding from the mouth when Bever pulls a phone charger and another unidentified item from the child’s pants and throws it at the boy’s face.
He also hit the teen in the groin, police said.
Beaver then grabbed the teen by his dreadlocks as he marched him to his patrol car
Throughout the arrest, the teen tries to tell the officer that he is complying, and “I won’t do it again.”
When Bever finally asks the teen if he’s okay, he says he’s fine, but asks the officer not to do that again “because that damn hurt.”
‘And for what brother? It wasn’t that serious,” the teen said.
At that point, Beaver could be seen grabbing the teen by his dreadlocks as he marched him to his patrol car and told the boy he wouldn’t let him get away again.
He then asked the boy, “Do you have AIDS?” NBC 4 reports.
Once safely in the transport vehicle, the teen asked for another officer, saying he did not trust Bever.
During his time with the force, Bever had to deal with three complaints from citizens
Within hours of the arrest, Bever was placed on administrative leave. Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti subsequently fired him on June 10.
“Our community deserves better and that 14-year-old deserves better,” she said.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant also criticized the officers’ actions, saying neither had a reason to pull weapons or use force.
She suggested that they should have parked their car instead and politely talked to the boys about pedestrian laws.
“I was angry, disappointed and upset,” she told the Dispatch about seeing the body camera footage.
“This is not what we as the Columbus Division of Police portray. The majority of our officers have good relationships with our community.”
She also said the department spoke with the 14-year-old’s grandmother — his legal guardian — immediately after the incident.
“They were disappointed by the officer’s actions, but they were relieved and pleased with the quick action the department and the public safety director took to address the problem.”
But this isn’t the first time Bever has been reprimanded for his actions.
During his time on the force, he faced three complaints from citizens, two of which reported harassment and the use of profanity or foul language.
His former supervisor also once warned him about his language, and in November 2021, Bever violated department policy by “constantly cursing at the detainee while taking him into custody,” the Dispatch reports.
Subsequently, Bever received “constructive feedback” about his interactions with the public during a performance review in April 2022, and the department arranged for him to be retrained in de-escalation tactics and verbal confrontation.
It is unclear whether Bever’s partner will also receive a reprimand.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Columbus Police for more information.