Ms. Demetria Styles said her son was arrested by Tampa Police early Monday. Ms. Styles said her son, Keith George, III, was arrested for violation of probation, but she wants to know why he was allegedly beaten, kicked, and tasered several times during the arrest.
Ms. Styles said George and two friends had left a club around 1:30 a.m., when the vehicle they were riding in was stopped by police at the intersection of N. 15th Street and E. 26th Avenue.
“He did try to run because he knew he was wanted for violating his probation. But when he called me, he could hardly talk. He said they kicked him and punched him in his face several times. His friends said the police just kept tasering him and laughing. They (police) kept telling him to “say you’re sorry” as they repeatedly tasered him for about 10 minutes. They also told him, ‘you got you’re a** whipped and now you’re going to jail.’”
Ms. Styles said the police never said why they stopped the car, but eventually let her son’s two friends leave without being arrested.
Ms. Styles said police had gone to her mother’s home to arrest her son the weekend before the encounter. “I was told that the police report said there were no bruises, but when you look at my son’s face, you can see he was beaten.”
She stated that she is particularly concerned about the tasering because her son has a heart murmur. [private]
George, 18, was charged with possession of cannabis (less than 20 grams), grand theft of a motor vehicle, and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence.
Ms. Styles has filed a complaint with the Tampa Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.
Ms. Janelle McGregor, spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department said, “We take complaints very seriously and that is why we have an Internal Affairs Bureau to sort out these matters.
“Our Internal Affairs Bureau will conduct a thorough investigation into the mother’s complaint and determine exactly what happened.”
Anyone wishing to contact Iris B. Holton, City Editor, can call (813) 248-1921; or email iholton@flsentinel.com. [/private]
***Look for full story in Friday’s Sentinel***
