FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Three Florida deputies are facing charges after appearing in a video that showed a teen being pepper-sprayed and slammed to the ground during an arrest.
The Broward County State Attorney's Office announced misdemeanor battery charges Wednesday against Sgt. Gregory LaCerra and Deputy Christopher Krickovich while Deputy Ralph Mackey is charged with falsifying records. They've been suspended without pay.
A sheriff's deputy association criticized the charges as politically motivated, saying appropriate force was used.
The deputies responded to a fight in April outside a Tamarac McDonald's where about 200 students gathered. Authorities say a 15-year-old boy picked up the phone of a student being detained. Video shows LaCerra spraying the teen and throwing him down, and Krickovich slamming his head and punching him.
Prosecutors declined to file charges against the teen.
