Elijah Tufono Arrest

Another day, another case of police using extremely excessive force.

Source: ATU Images / Getty

A Rancho Cordova, California teen is speaking out after video of an officer punching him and pinning him to the ground went viral. Elijah Tufono, 14, admitted to Fox40 that he was holding tobacco in his hand purchased by a stranger when Officer Brian Powell approached him, so Elijah lied about it out of fear.

Still, he says he handed it over to the officer and the cop got confrontational.

“I did lie to him and I didn’t cooperate, and I know that and I made that mistake. But that didn’t give him no right to do what he did,” said Tufono who added that the cop immediately tried to put him in handcuffs.

“So when he did that, I pulled my right hand back and that’s when he started getting aggressive and trying to fight,” said Tufono.

The video of the arrest has gone viral on social media. It shows Officer Powell violently punching the teen.

According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office who spoke on behalf of the Rancho Cordova police department, people should put the “footage into context.”

Yeah, AIGHT.

“It’s important to put video footage into context, especially in relation to a use of force incident. In this case, the deputy saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile. As the deputy turned around, he lost sight of the adult, who left the area. When the deputy approached the juvenile, the juvenile was uncooperative and refused to give the deputy basic identifying information.”

[….]

The juvenile became physically resistive at that time, causing the deputy to lose control of his handcuffs, which landed several feet away. The deputy attempted to maintain control of the juvenile without his handcuffs and while alone waiting for his partners to arrive and assist him.”

The chief of police for Rancho Cordova has also spoken out via YouTube.

Despite what’s transpired, Tufono told FOX40 that he “forgives the officer” and apologized. He’s much, much better than us.

“Sir, I’m sorry for the way that I acted towards you and for not cooperating. And I just hope that we could meet again and be on better terms,” said Elijah.

What do YOU think about the Elijah Tufono arrest video???