Video of Lakeland police beating 16-year-old shared on social media

A video that appears to show Lakeland police beating a 16-year-old teenager during an arrest raises doubts about the officers’ use of force.

Lakeland Police responded to a call on Memorial Day reporting that there were several people in the pool at the Caroline Apartments, 1906 Griffin Road, who did not live at the apartment complex.

According to a police affidavit, officers arrived and began questioning people at the pool about where they lived, asking them to provide their apartment numbers. Officers made contact with the manager of the apartment complex, who asked them to evict anyone using the facility who was not a resident.

A 16-year-old boy, whom The Ledger has not identified in accordance with our crime reporting guidelines, refused to give officers his apartment number. Officer Christopher McKee said he verbally informed Hudson that he was trespassing because he could not prove his residency, his affidavit states.