By Police1 Staff
MINNEAPOLIS — Police released video Thursday of a December 2016 incident where an officer allegedly hit a suicidal teen.
Officer Michael Soucheray II and another officer responded to a call of a suicidal 14-year-old at a local shelter, WCCO reported. The teen refused to go to the hospital and became aggressive with officers. She allegedly spit in Soucheray’s face while she was handcuffed and placed in the back of the patrol car.
The criminal complaint states that Soucheray hit the girl in the face twice with an open fist and grabbed her face and neck to restrain her.
Soucheray’s attorney Peter Wold said the officer used the “startle flinch response”, which is when an officer fakes a punch and the subject instinctually freezes, flinches and turns their head. Wold said the officer acted in self defense.
“She had a booking photo taken 20 minutes later,” Wold told the news station. “Not a mark, not a scratch, not even a blemish on her face.”
A jury acquitted Soucheray of the misdemeanor assault charge Thursday after a trial.
Police Chief Todd Axtell said in a statement that “the officer’s actions do not in any way, shape or form reflect, or align with, our values, expectations or mission.”
“When this issue was first brought to my attention, I took immediate action and asked another agency to review the matter,” Axtell said. “Now that the jury has made its decision, I will once again respond as swiftly as the law allows to ensure that our internal process addresses this matter properly.”
Soucheray remains on paid leave.