The Delaware State Police has suspended a Trooper and is investigating an incident that occurred on Monday night.
The incident, which brought a large police presence to the Elsmere area, even Delaware State Police Aviation’s Trooper to search a group of juveniles, was posted on social media by one of the juveniles’ relatives.
The teen’s aunt posted the following statement on social media along with photos of a badly Injured teen.
“On Monday night, August 21st, my fifteen year old nephew and 3 of his friends were hanging out and decided to play ding dong ditch. Well unfortunately, one of the houses happened to be owned by a Delaware State Trooper. He was not home at the time, but he was made aware by other family members in the home. According to Ring footage, the boys knocked on the door and ran off. As they were walking home (near Elsmere/Wilmington – bridge by McDonald’s) two state troopers stopped them. (This area is not typically patrolled by State Police). Let me also mention that all four boys were UNARMED. The two state troopers arrested my nephews friends, then beat the living hell out of nephew. My nephew currently has a concussion, needs surgery to repair severe eye damage (as the cops stomped on him and kicked him multiple times). He is covered in bruises, scrapes and scratches up and down his entire body. I assume that their senses kicked in and they did call an ambulance. After this happened, my sister (my nephews mother) was not notified of the beating that occurred. Internal Affairs and Detectives are currently involved, but refuse to share any information with my sister regarding the two state troopers who ASSULTED AND ALMOST KILLED my fifteen year old nephew.
All four boys have consistent stories about the events that occurred last night and any false reporting by any local news outlets about this being an attempted break in by juveniles is completely false.
Never once in the police academy are police officers trained to assault unarmed minors with their bare hands to the point of almost death, while their belt buckles are strapped with a gun, pepper spray, etc.
This will not stay hidden by the Delaware State Police. We will not allow my nephew to be another statistic of police brutality and men/women who feel that they are superior to those around them. “Protect and Serve” seems to only matter when you’re protecting your own.”
On Wednesday the Delaware State Police issued the following statement.
The Delaware State Police is aware of a social media post that alleges that a teenager was assaulted and injured while being detained by a trooper during an investigation. We take these allegations extremely seriously. We became aware of the incident through an internal body-worn camera review on August 22, 2023, and immediately initiated an investigation in conjunction with the Department of Justice and the Office of Professional Responsibility. The state trooper who is accused of the assault has been suspended while the investigation is pending. Additionally, we are also investigating whether or not there was any failure to intervene by other DSP personnel who were present at the time of the incident. We assure you that a comprehensive investigation is underway and we are examining all available evidence. At our core, the Delaware State Police values our community’s trust, and we will provide additional details as we are able.