WEBSTER, Mass. — The Webster Police Department is defending its officers after a viral social media video showed a violent arrest involving a teenager.
The department released its own body camera footage to provide context on what officers encountered during the incident.
Police say the situation began after a call reporting three juveniles allegedly firing BB guns at a car window and then getting into a fight.
When officers arrived, they repeatedly ordered one teen to get on the ground. All the while, a second male was yelling, “Do not shoot him”, which led officers to believe that there may be a firearm present on the scene, according to police.
In the two-minute clip, the teen resists, and at one point appears to grab an officer’s duty belt—a move police say could turn deadly. Officers then used force, including punches, knee strikes, and a Taser, to subdue him on the ground.
“We are aware of a third-party video circulating on social media showing the arrest of a male. During the arrest, you can see officers wrestling and punching the male, trying to take him into custody. I will admit, the video does not look pretty. However, anytime officers have to use force, it never does,” Webster Police Chief Michael Shaw wrote in a Facebook post. “It’s also important to realize that this is just a brief snippet of the incident, and the viewer has no idea the circumstances that led up to this interaction, what the officers’ perception of the situation was, and why they responded the way they did.”
The teen was treated medically and released to a parent. Another juvenile was also taken into custody.
One officer suffered a broken hand and will be out of work for the foreseeable future, while another sustained minor injuries.
Police recovered two BB guns about 50 feet from the arrest scene.
“As we’ve come to realize, police work isn’t always pretty,” Shaw added in the post.
An investigation remains ongoing.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
