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Philadelphia Police Accused Of Using Excessive Force To Arrest Teen

By Elizabeth Hur

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A teen's arrest was caught on camera, and one local mother says it went too far.

Philadelphia police confirm an investigation has now been launched into the alleged use of excessive force.

According to police, it began when the officers on patrol wanted to question the teen about his damaged car in the 1600 block of Ruan Street on Monday evening. On Tuesday night, the suspect's family spoke out demanding justice.

There is cell phone video showing officers from Philadelphia's 15th Police District making the arrest. According to the suspect's family, the video is proof that authorities abused their power when arresting 18-year-old Marcus Warryton.

Marcus Warryton
(Credit: Philadelphia Police Dept)

"I can't deal with it. I'm not going to tolerate it, and I'm not going to let it rest," says Warryton's mother, who asked to remain anonymous.

His sister and brother did not.

Anthony Singleton, the suspect's brother, said, "This is the way they felt that they needed to act to prove what? What statement were they making by putting someone's child's life at risk?"

"He said he has staples going down his head. His back and his neck are sore. His face is all bruised up, they just kept beating him," added Denise Singleton, the suspect's sister.

"Clearly, you can see the individual is resisting arrest at the very beginning. Sometimes police work isn't necessarily pretty, but at the same time, we want to make sure that officers operate within policy," Commissioner Charles Ramsey responded.

According to police, the 18-year-old put up a struggle when police tried to restrain him and then failed to follow orders. Officers can be heard on the video yelling, "Roll over on your stomach! Put your hands behind your back!"

You can also hear onlookers screaming back, "Yo! Yo! He's bleeding!"

All of this, police say, was the end result of a traffic stop.

Ramsey explained, "The car had heavy front end damage with airbags deployed, which is unusual, to say the least. It struck something, because there was leakage from the vehicle. He stops the car, gets out and tries to walk away, and they try to inquire as to what's going on."

"You're there to enforce the law, but look what you're doing. How are we supposed to respect people like this that's doing this to our children?" Anthony Singleton asked.

Ramsey said, "Officers have the ability to use force necessary to take a person into custody, how much is too much is what we have to determine."

Pending the outcome of the investigation, Ramsey says four officers have been placed on desk duty.

The suspect, in the meantime, remains in jail, unable to post bail and charged with Aggravated Assault, Simple Assault, Recklessly Endangering Another Person and Resisting Arrest/Other Law Enforcement.

The suspect's family says they are now exploring their legal options.

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