A teenage mob can be seen surrounding a lone police officer as he carried out an arrest on a 14-year-old girl in disturbing new video footage. The cop was responding to reports of a group of youngsters “harassing” a Salford shop worker on Monday.
In the footage, which is being shared widely on social media, the solo cop is seen fighting off the four teens while trying to escort the girl to a police vehicle. As he walks, he appears to try to grab another individual, supposedly to arrest them too. The group is seen running towards him and trying to pull him away. One of the group then falls down after being kicked by the panicked cop. He also pushes another youth , sending them tumbling to the ground.
In a statement, Greater Manchester Police said the group had started “disrupting the arrest” when they approached the officer, adding that he was put in a “challenging situation”. Screams of “get off him” could be heard as the officer was seen attempting to escort the arrested teenage girl to the police car parked nearby.
The incident then rapidly unfolded and was caught on mobile camera footage, as the officer was heard repeatedly instructing the group to ‘back off’. The force said it received a complaint regarding the incident which is being assessed by the Professional Standards Directorate. They are also accessing the officer’s body-worn camera footage.
The 14-year-old girl who was arrested was later de-arrested and taken home after the victim, who had pressed the panic alarm in the shop, failed to support the investigation.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “At around 4.45pm on Monday, April 14, we swiftly responded to the activation of a panic alarm by a shop worker on Edward Avenue, Salford. It was reported that a group of young people had been harassing the worker and attempting to shoplift the store. On attendance, the responding officer arrested a female, aged 14, in connection with this report.
“The officer was approached by a group who were disrupting this arrest in what was a challenging situation. We are in receipt of a complaint in relation to this incident which our Professional Standards Directorate are currently reviewing by assessing all relevant material including body-worn video.
“Whilst on this occasion, the victim did not seek to support further investigation into the report and the girl was de-arrested and take home with no further action, we are committed to responding to reports of shop lifting and taking action to keep shop workers safe.”
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