Philly Police Officer Beats Teen Girl in Street [Watch Video]

A disturbing video has gone viral of a fight between a police officer and a 16-year-old and prompted an investigation into the incident.

The cellphone video was first shared on social media on Monday and shows a violent interaction between the teenager Johnnae Pendleton and the 12th District Officer. According to reports, police responded to a call about a person with a weapon in Southwest Philadelphia.

When they arrived, a street brawl was underway. The video shows Pendleton being pushed by the officer, who then pushes the teenager onto the ground, gets on top of her and throws several punches.

The teen was initially charged with assault on police and disorderly conduct, but the district attorney dropped the charges after viewing the video.

“I am happy that it was caught on video because if it wasn’t I would have been charged and I would’ve been in a youth study center or something,” Pendleton told WPVI-TV.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross says that the cellphone footage does not tell the whole story.

“One of the things that did not get captured on video — that the young lady admitted to in her interview,” Ross told WPVI-TV, “is that she actually smacked the officer in the face, knocking the glasses off her face.”