Footage has emerged that appears to show a Texas police officer repeatedly punching a 14-year-old girl in the face as her distraught mother screams in the background.
The grainy footage was shot by a bystander outside a traditional Hispanic birthday party in San Antonio late on Saturday after police were called when several men started fighting.
The teenage girl, who was in the crowd with her mother and brother, was arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer.
Footage appears to show the girl stepping toward the officer before he strikes her for the first time.
The officer can be seen lunging forward and delivering another blow, causing her to twist backward and fall into people standing nearby. He appears to hit her again before he and other officers grab her and arrest her.
The eighth-grader was taken to a juvenile detention center Saturday before being released on Monday.The teen's mother can be heard screaming hysterically as a number of officers restrain her daughter.
Artessia House, a lawyer for the girl, denies that the teen struck the officer but said one cop can be seen in the video 'clear as day' striking her, San Antonio Express-News reports.
House described the girl as an honor roll student with no history of violence.
The San Antonio Police Department is now reviewing police body camera footage after the bystander's footage was posted online.
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor issued a statement saying the video was 'hard to watch and listen to' and confirmed the department was reviewing the body cam footage.
"When I supported funding for body cameras it was for instances like this so that we can see exactly what happened and protect officers and citizens," she said.
Police Chief William McManus said in a statement that the teen's arrest is being reviewed 'to ensure compliance with department policies.'
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