The Omaha Police Department says a use of force investigation is underway after a 14 year old was tased on Sunday.
In a statement from OPD on Tuesday, investigators said that the OPD Gang Unit was conducting an investigation in the area of the Southside Terrace apartments “due to an uptick in violence in the area.”
OPD says officers received information that two stolen vehicles, that had left the area, had been involved in a robbery. One suspect, who’s age was unknown at the time officers encountered him, is 14 years old.
Police say the suspect was driving one of the stolen vehicles and that the interaction was captured on the body-worn camera of an officer. “An officer did deploy their Taser while running behind the juvenile suspect. The juvenile suspect was not showing any signs of injury or medical distress after the Taser deployment,” the department reported in the statement.
Footage “does not show the juvenile being kicked and tased while on the ground,” the report stated. One of the Taser probes had to be removed by medical personnel and the teen was taken to a local hospital.
Police Chief Todd Schmaderer has authorized an investigation into the incident. All use of force incidents are reviewed by the involved officers’ chain of command and safety review committee, per departmental policy.