A Melbourne Police Department officer has resigned as the department conducts an internal review into the mistaken detention of a 15-year-old boy which left the teen with a fractured elbow, the department confirmed this week.
Officer William Markle was one of three officers present at the time of the June 24 incident, which is still under administrative review. Markle’s July 9 resignation letter did not mention the incident and said only that it would be in his “best interest to pursue other opportunities.”
The incident unfolded near Lake Washington Road as police searched for a missing juvenile. Fifteen-year-old Judah Everage was assisting in the search, police said, when he was taken to the ground by an officer and handcuffed.
The video footage shows Everage explaining his identity to the officers, who subsequently release him. Everage is shown on his knees with his hands above his head as police yell and then bring him to the ground. Everage told police officers he was running to cross the street and thought he had seen his friend who was the subject of the search at the time. He also told officers he didn’t understand their commands to stop running were for him, as he had not done anything.
“I was just trying to cross the street. I’m sorry,” he tells officers in the video. “I can’t fully extend my arm. It’s definitely popped out of place.”
The other two officers involved in the detention are not currently on leave and are still working at Melbourne Police Department.
Angela Sparks Hansen, Everage’s mother, has been outspoken about the incident on social media since the incident.
“Justice is coming. Our children will walk home without fear of being pummeled by those sworn to protect and serve the people and Constitution of the United States!” she wrote on Facebook.
“Police officers should be well trained, of the highest integrity and pillars of the community our children aspire to be.”
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. X: @tyler_vazquez.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Melbourne officer resigns after mistaken ID case which left teen injured
Reporting by Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today / Florida Today
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By Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
