Norristown Police are investigating a video of two officers breaking up a fight between two teen girls and briefly pulling out a gun on a teen boy.
The incident occurred on Lafayette Street in Norristown Monday. A 24 second clip of the fight was posted on Facebook. The video shows two officers trying to pull two teen girls off of each other and telling them repeatedly to stop.
“Let go of her or I’m going to punch you right in the face,” one of the officers tells one of the girls.
After the officers pull the girls apart and begin to handcuff them, a teen boy walks toward one of the officers. The officer then briefly takes out his gun.
“Back the f*** up,” the officer tells the teen.
Norristown Police are now investigating the incident.
“Part of what I need to do is remember that they are out there, dealing with a chaotic situation,” Norristown Police Chief Mark Talbot said. “They don’t know who is armed, who is not armed.”
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Chief Talbot also requested an outside agency review the video and incident "in the interest of transparency."
One of the girls involved in the fight as well as her boyfriend who walked over to the officer, spoke to NBC10.
“He said if you don’t let her go I will punch you in your face,” the girl, who did not want to be identified, said. “That’s what he told me.”
The girl’s boyfriend told NBC10 he understands the officer had to protect himself when he walked toward him but believes there are other things he could’ve used besides a gun.
“He has a baton, a taser, plenty of things he could have used,” the teen said.
Chief Talbot told NBC10 the short clip posted on Facebook doesn’t show what happened before officers arrived at the scene. NBC10 obtained more video showing a large fight between teens throwing metal scooters at each other.
Another video shows a woman swinging a shovel around.
Chief Talbot said his officers walked into a violent situation.
“We really strive to treat everybody better than they expect,” Chief Talbot said. “And here’s an opportunity for us to take steps that I don’t think most police departments would normally take.”
The two officers involved in the incident are still on the job, according to Chief Talbot. The chief did not reveal whether or not they’re still patrolling the streets as the investigation continues. Chief Talbot also said he requested that the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office investigate.
Police also have not revealed whether the two girls were formally charged.
