Indianapolis community members are raising alarms after a group of Black teens were dragged from their vehicle by police officers. Video of the shocking interaction has since went viral showing one officer threatening to “kill” 17-year-old Trevion Taylor.
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It began when the teenager decided to meet up with some friends — all of whom are between ages 16 and 17 — for an anti-ICE protest happening near Warren Central High School. Taylor graduated from the school early but chose to drive to the event, his mothe told IndyStar News.
While driving with three friends away from the protest, Taylor reportedly noticed a police vehicle following him. He was pulled over at a local gas station only half a mile from the school, according to the outlet. Once Indianapolis Metropolitan Police (IMPD) officers approached his car, Taylor– who was sitting in the driver’s seat– pulled out his phone and started recording.
Video of the traffic stop was posted to social media. In it, you can see multiple officers surround the teen’s car before one tells Taylor, “We’re gonna get you out here. So when you get out, I’m gonna pull you out, I want you to put your hands on top of the car, OK?”
The teenager asked the unidentified officer why he was being instructed to get out the vehicle. “The car smells like weed,” the officer can be heard saying. “Step out of the car.”
Moments later, officers opened the car doors and pull out Taylor and one teen sitting in the passenger seat. “Yo, what?” Taylor asks as he’s being dragged by his wrists. That’s when one officer says the unthinkable.
“I will f***ing kill you. Do you understand me?” the officer shouts at Taylor, who instantly goes silent. The video continues showing the rest of Taylor’s friends being detained.
Taylor’s mother, Ambar Taylor, uploaded the video and accused Indianapolis PD of racial profiling. “He’s a young Black man. You’ve seen the news 100 times,” she told IndyStar. “My son will not be a victim.”
Now, she’s demanding answers from IMPD, but the officers’ account of the Feb. 6 incident is vastly different from Taylor’s. According to a department statement, officers were monitoring the anti-ICE protest after receiving a tip that students might have guns.
“Officers observed a juvenile male enter a vehicle while in possession of a firearm and initiated a traffic stop once the vehicle was away from others,” the statement read. Police said Taylor failed to signal during a lane change, which triggered the stop. Still, the department addressed the officer’s threats against the 17-year-old.
“While the video does not show the entire incident, some of the language heard does not reflect the standards or values of the IMPD,” the statement continued.
President of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police Rick Snyder released a statement defending the police. He called the video “incomplete” adding that the officers’ tactics were reasonable, according to WISH-TV. An internal investigation is underway.
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