WATCH: Video showing Oklahoma officers detaining teen at Tulsa State Fair goes viral online

Tulsa police officers under fire for rough treatment of teenager at Tulsa State Fair (Images via Twitter)
Tulsa police officers under fire for rough treatment of teenager at Tulsa State Fair (Images via Twitter)

Over the weekend, a local teenager attending the Tulsa State Fair in Oklahoma was brutally arrested by deputies who alleged that he was belligerent in public. A video taken by a witness of the entire incident promptly went viral on the internet and garnered negative reactions.

The Oklahoma teenager in the video, identified as 17-year-old Caleb Janson, was taken into custody when police allegedly received complaints regarding his drunken and disorderly behavior from other fair-goers. When approached by Tulsa County police officers, Janson allegedly resisted arrest, which caused the officers to use physical force.

In the video filmed by a witness, Tulsa police can be seen forcefully pushing the teenager to the ground. When Tulsa officers struggled to handcuff the teenager, one of them slammed his fist into the teen's head. At one point, the deputy seemed to drive his knee into Janson's neck.

He then dragged the teen's apparently limp body across the asphalt, with the boy's face turned towards the ground. It was at this point that the officers arrested him.

Trigger warning: The following video contains graphic content. Viewer's discretion is advised.

The actions of the police officers elicited a lot of negative reactions from the witnesses and passersby, a few of whom were stopped from alleviating the situation. People can be heard screaming:

"What the f**k is the matter with you? Do something about this? You can't just let him do this to this kid. He's beating the sh*t out of this kid. You better hope that kid lives, man. You guys are f**king ridiculous. He's barely conscious."

Tulsa Sheriff's Office is currently reviewing the video. While no charges have been filed against Janson yet, according to Fox 23, deputies informed that he is being investigated for being drunk, having disorderly behavior, and possibly assault. The case will be presented to the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office.


What led to Janson's assault? Teenager and Tulsa County police officers provide two different versions of the incident

Tulsa State fair erupted into violence over the weekend when police detained 17-year-old Caleb Janson. The teenager, who was drunk at the time, allegedly resisted arrest, which led to a scuffle between him and the officers. Soon enough, this took a violent turn.

According to police, they received complaints against Janson's belligerent behavior while waiting in line for a ride. When the cops arrived, the 17-year-old, who is white, began mouthing off and allegedly used racist language toward a black deputy. He also tried to grab his bottle of alcohol and run-off.

TCSO Captain Mike Moore told Fox23:

"He actually reached up to one of our deputy’s groin and inner thigh area and grabbed a handful of the private parts and inner thigh and squeezed and twisted it. And that caused a response from the deputy that everyone is talking about."

Meanwhile, Caleb Janson has denied Tulsa police's allegations. The teen admitted to being drunk but said he was not intoxicated to the point of no control. He apparently also let some people cut him in line, and while that upset the family behind him, he does not know why he was made a victim of such brutality. He told Fox23:

"I was sitting there waiting for them to put handcuffs on me, and I ended up getting slammed on the ground. Then I don’t really remember anything when they slammed me because I got knocked out."

Caleb Janson's grandparents added that the deputy's actions were "disturbing."


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Edited by Shreya Das
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