Aboriginal teen arrest: Family of Indigenous teen call for cop to be charged

The father of the Aboriginal teen injured during an arrest in Sydney appeared on The Project to describe how he felt when he saw the footage.

The father of an Indigenous teenager injured during an arrest in Sydney on Monday says his first reaction to seeing the footage was “anger”.

The video showing a NSW police officer tripping the teen at Surry Hills went viral and is now the subject of a police inquiry. The officer involved has been put on restricted duties as the incident is investigated.

The boy’s father, who did not wish to be named, told The Project on Wednesday night that he does not accept the police officer’s version of events.

“The first reaction is anger, you know, seeing my boy do that,” he said, referring to allegations the teen told the officer he would “crack” him “in the f***ing jaw”.

“Hitting the ground, you know, with the police foot-sweeping him. Yeah, a lot of

anger, and — that I felt, and my wife had already run up there because the word had already got around that he has been arrested, you know, but the thing is, it’s not new. You know?

“It’s happened to our young people all the time. But this here, it really hit home, because

that was my son, and we’re just looking for what justice can be done for my boy.”

He rejected comments from NSW Police Minister David Elliot who said he was “horrified” by the language the teen had used.

The teen can be heard screaming out in pain as he’s restrained.

The family said the incident 'unacceptable' and called for the officer to be arrested.

“I say to that, you know, whatever he has said and whatever he has done doesn’t justify the action of that policeman.”

The teen’s sister told a press conference earlier on Wednesday that the “use of excessive force was unnecessary” and “this police officer must be charged”.

She told reporters she felt "the way our people are brutalised" was unacceptable. “(We) cannot explain our anger and frustration.”

Mr Elliott said it was an “unfortunate situation” but said he was “horrified” by the language used by the teen.

“I don't want to see any young person physically apprehended for doing anything and I certainly don't want to see any police officer physically threatened with violence,” Mr Elliott said.

“I was just as disturbed about the threat from a young person to physically assault a police officer as I was with the response from the police officer.”

The officer has been placed on restricted duties pending an investigation, after a video of the arrest in Sydney’s inner east went viral on Monday.

In the video, a group of teenagers in a park nearby their Surry Hills home appear to be arguing with the officer, accusing him of swearing.

NSW Police said in a statement the officers had been patrolling Ward Park in Surry Hills when they talked to the group of teenagers.

They allege one of the male teenagers, 17, threatened the officer, saying “I’ll crack you in the f**king jaw, bro,” before being arrested and taken to Surry Hills Police Station.

The teen was then taken to St Vincent’s Hospital for observation before being released pending further inquiries by police, according to the statement from NSW Police.

The circumstances surrounding the arrest are now the subject of an investigation by the Professional Standards Command. The officer involved was seen tripping the teen during the arrest.

“Senior officers have met with the community and local elders and will keep them appraised throughout the process,” NSW Police said.

During the arrest the boy lies on the ground he can be heard making a high-pitched squeal.

The teen was hospitalised for his injuries.

The boy’s mates can be heard yelling, with one saying, “You just slammed him on his face”.

A family member of the boy took to social media overnight, claiming the police had arrested the teen “for no reason at all”.

“This is so wrong on so many levels,” the family member said. “I am that pissed off with what has happened.

“(He) was with friends in a park not even 100m from his home in Surry Hills, doing nothing just being boys hanging out with each other when police arrest him for no reason at all.”

The family member said the boy had been taken to hospital with multiple injuries.

The teen’s sister told the ABC’s triple j Hack program on Tuesday he was distraught after the incident, and his teeth were damaged.

“When he came back home later that night, he was shaken up,” she said. “He was very sore this morning and he was distraught.

“Teenagers, they’re lippy, but you don’t just abuse children because they’re lippy.” The teenager’s parents and other relatives will speak about the incident at a press conference at the NSW Parliament on Wednesday.

“We’re all aware of incidents that have taken place in the United States over the past week and we’re aware of the sensitivities around what’s occurring overseas,” Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing told reporters on Tuesday.

“Am I concerned about what I’m seeing in the footage? Absolutely. But I’m equally concerned about others who may use the footage to inflame it and turn it into something it’s not.”

The person who posted the Surry Hills video on Facebook said the teenager sustained cuts and grazes to his knee and a bruised shoulder, as well as chipped teeth, before being transferred to hospital.

Redfern Legal Centre has referred the matter to the independent police watchdog.

— with AAP