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A Washington police service said it opened an investigation into the use of force on Monday after a video showed a policeman using a pepper spray on a boy and kicking him in the back.
The video, which captured the police officer who was kicking the boy while nearby officers shouted "get on the ground," had racked up nearly 285,000 views on Facebook as early as Tuesday.
The Yakima Police Department admitted that the officer used "force during his arrest" on Sunday at the Washington Central Fair in Yakima, two hours southeast of Seattle. the agent in question.
Jasmin Hernandez Cervera
Yakima interim police chief, Gary Jones, issued a statement Monday night on the police department's website and on the Facebook page, asking witnesses to provide any information that would help the investigation.
Tuesday morning, the Facebook publication of the department has generated hundreds of reactions and comments. The majority of users expressed their indignation about this, including those who wondered if the boy could develop spinal injuries.
"The Yakima Police Department has been made aware of a video showing a Yakima policeman using force while he was making an arrest last night," Mr Jones said Monday. "Maintaining public trust is one of our highest priorities and, in so doing, investigators will collect all the available evidence regarding the use of force review.
"Anyone with information about this event is encouraged to contact the department and share any information they may have," he added.
Jones did not reveal the age or identity of the boy, but a witness told ABC News that the boy was a student at Wapato High School in Wapato, Washington.
Jasmin Hernandez Cervera, who shared the video of the incident on Facebook, said the police were reacting to a chaotic brawl involving about fifteen "young" boys. She said it sounded like "any fight in high school".
Jasmin Hernandez Cervera
It is unclear whether charges were laid in relation to the incident, but Cervera said the boy was escorted by the police.
"They were young," Cervera said. There were no weapons, just "children swaying against each other," she added.
Bill Pickett, who ran as the boy's lawyer, described the officer's conduct as "violent and unacceptable," according to the Yakima Herald.
"The family wants justice," he said. "They need to know that they are being heard, and they need to know that this type of behavior is wrong and they need to know that it is going to stop."
Pickett's law firm did not immediately respond to ABC News's request for comment.
ABC News & Stacy Chen contributed to this report.
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