Cop Punches 14-Year-Old Mental Patient, Sparks Investigation of Florida Facility's Conditions

No excessive force police claim

A punch that a Pembroke Pines police officer threw at a mentally ill 14-year-old girl in state custody has sparked an investigation of conditions at a local youth psychiatric facility.

During the April 28 incident, partially caught on surveillance video, a police officer punched the girl in the face — after the girl appeared to swing at the officer. Then, another officer pepper sprayed the girl and a third sat on top of her while she had an asthma attack, according to Broward Assistant Public Defender Gordon H. Weekes Jr.