RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. — A Rancho Cordova police officer has been transferred out of the department after being accused of using excessive force when a now-viral video appeared to show him punching a teenager.
But the teen's family says that is not enough and is now asking the officer stop being and face multiple criminal charges.
"This man is huge. He should have been able to handle that situation," the teen's aunt, Leata Tufano, said Wednesday in a press conference.
Tufano said her nephew, a 14-year-old from Sacramento who ABC10 will not name due to his age, could have died in the interaction because he has an irregular heart beat, a condition that he was born with.
Tufano said the teen is a "good kid" was was raised to be respectful. Now, following the encounter, Tufano said the boy emotionally and physically scarred.
"He didn't deserve that," Tufano said.
RELATED: Rancho Cordova deputy accused of using excessive force after video appears to show him punching teen
A video of the incident was shared on Tuesday morning by Black Lives Matter Sacramento on Facebook and Twitter, and by the afternoon, it reached national audiences and was shared by former Democratic Presidential candidate Julian Castro.
The 15-second clip appears to show the teen lying on the ground as an officer grabs and punches the boy.
Officials with the Rancho Cordova Police Department said the officer was patrolling the area of Mills Station Road and Mather Field Road "due to complaints from citizens about hand-to-hand sales of alcohol, tobacco and drugs to minors."
The department said the deputy believed he saw a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile and approached the teen for information after the adult ran away.
Rancho Cordova Police Chief Kate Adams, who took the post the same day the incident happened, said she shares the same concerns as the community. She said she is dedicated to mend ties with the family and ensures the excessive force investigation will be carried out "efficiently and with compassion."
Adams also said that her department reached out to the family to meet.
However, the boy's family and attorney say they are turning down the request:
Instead, they're seeking accountability.
"Where's the officer's remorse," asked Adante Pointer, the family's attorney. "Why is a 14-year-old boy — a grown man — what to do and how to behave here?"
The family is demanding that the officer be placed on unpaid leave until he is removed from policing — not transferred to a different community — and charged with child abuse, assault and endangerment.
They're also demanding the department pay for the teen's mental health services.
"[The officer] shouldn't be allowed to terrorize someone else either," Pointer said. "He should be taken out of policing period."
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Van Tieu.
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