A viral cellphone video shows a Florida sheriff’s deputy driving into a teenage bike rider, then tackling him and then handcuffing him.
But the Broward County Sheriff’s Office gave WTVJ-TV a reason for Monday’s incident in Deerfield Beach.
The teen who was taken down was part of a group of bike riders pulling dangerous stunts along Hillsboro Boulevard and impeding traffic, the sheriff’s office told WTVJ.
The clip shows about 10 young males riding bikes in an intersection when the driver of a blue SUV makes a sharp left turn, running into — and apparently over — a bike rider’s rear wheel, appearing to crush it. A number of hoots and hollers follow, and the bike rider tries to get away. But the masked deputy emerges from the SUV, tackles the teen, and puts handcuffs on him — much to the chagrin of the kid’s comrades.
Here’s another video of the incident, shot from the opposite angle, and it shows an additional 10 to 15 bike riders the first video doesn’t capture.
The teen who was taken down was part of a group of bike riders pulling dangerous stunts along Hillsboro Boulevard and impeding traffic, the sheriff’s office told WTVJ.
Sheriff’s officials added to the station that the teen in question was taken to a hospital as a precaution and later released to his family with a juvenile civil citation.
WTVJ said other youths were cited for violations, including disobeying red lights and not wearing bike helmets.
The sheriff’s office added to the station that the incident underscores the ongoing, organized pattern of reckless behavior by groups of juvenile bicyclists that encourages and rewards dangerous stunts and activities on busy South Florida roads.
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