The Philadelphia Police Department has announced the launch of an internal affairs investigation into a viral video that alleges to show a white cop's temporary detainment of a black teenager at a bus stop.
Footage of the incident was shared to Instagram by 16-year-old Asia Wilkerson, who told Philadelphia Magazine that she decided to pull out her phone and capture the moment "to make sure [15-year-old Jahvon Beever] was safe."
Jahvon said he and approximately ten classmates left Vaux Big Picture High School at around 3 p.m. last Thursday, at which point they walked a few blocks to catch a bus at the intersection of 24th St. and Cecil B. Moore Ave. A white male cop drove by "staring at them" and later returned to their location within minutes, accompanied by two additional police vehicles and three other officers.
Jahvon said he was then singled out, with the white male officer (who has not been identified) grabbing him by the arm.
"I kept asking him why was he doing this," Jahvon, who added that he "didn't understand what was going on," said. "He squeezed hard on my arm as I tried to let go. He yelled at me to get inside his car, threw my legs in the back of the car, and slammed the door. I started shaking—I was scared for my life."
In footage of the incident, the officer is heard telling Jahvon, "Remember, you were shaking in a police car."
Now, the teen's family is demanding answers and are actively "exploring all options" to protect their son.
"My son should have never been treated like a second-class citizen in his own neighborhood," his father, Frank Hudson, toldPhiladelphia Magazine.
