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The teen who was taken down by multiple police officers in Stockton, California is speaking out for the first time since video of the incident went viral last week.

Emilio Mayfield said he was on his way to school when he was approached by an officer from the Stockton Police Department. The 16-year-old said the officer tried to give him a citation for jaywalking – that’s when the encounter turned violent.

“I feel traumatized. I was beaten and slammed on the floor,” he told CBS Sacramento.

Bystanders, including Edgar Avendaño, recorded nine officers in total responding to the scene. His footage, which can be seen below, shows both the teen and the officer holding the baton. Avendaño said the officer pulled out the baton after their encounter turned physical. Mayfield told reporters he was holding the baton because the officer was choking him with it.

“His baton is toward my chest, then goes to my neck, and he was choking me,” Mayfield told ABC 10. “I can hardly breathe, and I’m pushing it back.”

Stockton Police told their version of the story, calling Mayfield out of line for cursing at the officer when he tried to question him. Police spokesman Joe Silva said the teenager’s hesitation led to the altercation, not the officer’s questionable force.

CBS Sacramento reports:

“Our officer, for safety reasons, went over to tell the person to get out of the lane and go to the sidewalk,” said Silva. “The kid started to use obscene language at the officer and said ‘I don’t have to listen to you’ and refused to get out of the lane. As you can see in the video, our officer had his baton out, but the suspect was also holding onto baton. As law enforcement officers, we cannot and will not allow anyone to take our weapons.”

Eventually, Mayfield was not cited for jaywalking, but for resisting arrest and trespassing. NAACP president Bobby Bivens has met with the young man and his parents to lend support, and Mayfield’s family has filed a formal complaint with police. He did not suffer any injuries, but was allegedly punched in the face by the officer.

If Mayfield is tried and convicted as an adult, he could face up to a year in jail.

SOURCE: CBS Sacramento | VIDEO CREDIT: NDN 

SEE ALSO: 

Watch: Large Group Of Police Officers Tackle 16-Year-Old For Jaywalking

Justice Or Else: Min. Louis Farrakhan Discusses How To End The Killing In Black Communities

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“I Was Traumatized:” Teen Speaks Out After Getting Tackled By Stockton Police Officers  was originally published on newsone.com

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