County police are investigating an Aspen Hill incident, depicted in a video posted on social media Wednesday night, in which an officer appears to knee a restrained suspect during an arrest.
The 45-second video, uploaded to Twitter by user “PLU$XANZ,” shows a suspect lying facedown on a sidewalk surrounded by several members of law enforcement.
(Note: Tweet linked above contains language that some viewers may consider offensive)
The suspect has his arms restrained behind his back and appears to be struggling on the ground while a male officer attempts to further secure his hands. Roughly 16 seconds into the video, the officer delivers a knee to the back of the suspect’s head and neck area.
Around 15 seconds later, the officer lifts the suspect by his hair, and his face l area appears to be bloody. The officer then pulls the suspect’s shirt over his face, then other officers help lift him to his feet.
The incident occurred in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center, police said.
County police said in a Twitter post Thursday afternoon that they were aware of the video and have initiated an investigation into the incident. The county State’s Attorney’s office will also look into the incident, a police spokesman said.
“The Montgomery County Department of Police takes any complaints or evidence of excessive force seriously,” police said in a statement. “An investigation into this matter has been opened and will be investigated thoroughly.”
Several County Council members took to social media Thursday, condemning the officer’s actions in the video. County Executive Marc Elrich also weighed in, saying he was “disturbed” by the video.
“I want to ensure that all residents of this County are treated respectfully and fairly by our police force,” Elrich wrote in a statement.
Charlie Wright can be reached at charlie.wright@moco360.media
