A Florida police officer is out of a job after using excessive force on a 13-year-old boy who had been involved in a fight at a youth shelter.
Clearwater police Chief Dan Slaughter tells reporters that former officer Michael Leonardo, 33, made mistakes that "cannot be overlooked" when he responded to the call with two other officers on April 2.
The teen was arrested on a battery charge and led outside with his hands cuffed behind his back. Slaughter says the prospect of going back to juvenile detention riled the teen up again, and he cursed at the officers, according to an internal investigation. But that behavior didn't warrant what happened next, Slaughter said Wednesday.
Surveillance video shows Leonardo grab the teen across the chest and body slam him face-first onto a sidewalk outside of the shelter. The boy chipped a tooth and had scratches on his face because of the fall.
An officer called paramedics, who took the boy from the shelter to Morton Plant Hospital for treatment.
Leonardo, a four-year vet of the department, told investigators he thought the boy was trying to escape.
The boy said he tripped on his shoe, which could have come across as resisting the officer.
Two backup officers were given training and counseling for conduct after the take-down.