COLUMBUS — An Ohio officer was fired after body cam footage showed him grabbing a teen by the hair and pushing their head to the ground during an arrest.
Former Columbus Division of Police officer Donovan Bever is accused of out-of-policy use of force against a minor during an incident in February, our news partners at WBNS-10 TV reported.
On Feb. 19, Bever and his partner were on duty and stopped two 14-year-olds for standing in the road.
The body cam video shows Bever holding his gun and running over to his partner who was already handcuffing one of the teens to the ground.
Bever is then seen getting on top of the other teen, who is already on the ground. Bever grabs the teen’s hair and forces his head to the ground.
Bever is seen repeatedly pushing the teen’s head to the ground while attempting to put handcuffs on him. Once the teen is handcuffed, Bever rolls him onto his side and proceeds to remove items from the teen’s pockets, throwing them at his face. When Bever rolls the teen over on his other side to continue searching, the teen is visibly bleeding from his mouth.
Once Bever is finished searching the teen, they stand up and Bever is seen grabbing the teen’s hair and quickly walking him through a field of grass to the cruiser, passing several other officers walking past.
One arriving at the cruiser, Bever lets go of the teen’s hair and proceeds to search his pants and sweatshirt pockets again before putting him into the back of the car.
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Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant says this was an inappropriate use of force and she is disappointed in Bever’s behavior.
“I was upset, I was disappointed. I was frustrated that we would have officers that represent the Columbus Division of Police that would behave in that manner,” Bryant said.
According to the police timeline, the incident occurred just before 4:10 p.m. when the officers initiated contact with the teens. A use of force investigation was initiated by a sergeant who responded to the scene following the incident.
Later that night after interviewing the teen and reviewing the bodycam video, Bever was relieved of assignment. From Feb. 19 until the beginning of June, an administrative investigation was conducted and reviewed.
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Chief Bryant approved the charges against Bever on June 3. On June 10, Bever’s disciplinary hearing was held before Chief Bryant and Columbus Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti where he was officially terminated.
Several Columbus officials spoke in favor of Chief Bryant’s decision, including Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and City Council President Shannon Hardin.
Pishotti released the following statement:
“Officer Bever’s actions were unacceptable, and as it pertains to his employment, indefensible. What I saw on that video and read in this investigation was wholly incompatible with the values of the Columbus Division of Police,” Pishotti said. “That is why after carefully considering all of the evidence, I have accepted the recommendation of Chief Bryant and terminated Donovan Bever’s employment. The men and women who risk their lives every day to keep our city safe deserve better. Our community deserves better, and that 14-year-old deserved better.”