What to Know
- The peaceful protest took place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 7800 Hampton Blvd. in North Lauderdale.
- Attendees wore red and held up signs with messages like “Stop police violence” and “Justice for Lucca” throughout the event.
Demonstrators gathered at Hampton Park Saturday afternoon to demand justice for Delucca Rolle, a teenager who was head slammed to the ground, punched and tackled by two Broward Sheriff’s deputies in a disturbing cellphone video.
"It takes so much in me to come in front of you. It’s a wound, a wound that still hurts," said Clintina Rolle, Delucca's mother.
The protest, which began at 3 p.m., took place at 7800 Hampton Blvd. in North Lauderdale, close to where the April 18 incident occurred. Attendees wore red and held up signs with messages like “Stop police violence” and “Justice for Lucca” throughout the event.
Clintina Rolle spoke passionately about how the last two weeks have been for her and her son.
"He don’t even wanna hear about it. He tries to lock away in the room by himself to keep away from this," she said.
The video, which has since gone viral, shows 15-year-old Rolle being pepper-sprayed, thrown on the ground, punched and his head slammed onto the pavement in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant in Tamarac.
Local
Officers had responded to the scene after reports of a fight outside the McDonald's, where hundreds of students from J.P. Taravella High School were gathered. Sheriff's office reports say Rolle tried to pick up a phone belonging to a student being detained before the BSO deputies lunged after him.
“Since the force utilized by the Officers against Delucca was excessive, unreasonable, and in violation of Federal and State laws, as well as accepted police practices within the United States, the officers should be fired and charged with battery,” a press release said.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony announced Tuesday that the officers – Sgt. Gregory LaCerra and Deputy Christopher Krickovich – would be suspended after they were initially placed on "restricted administrative assignment."
The state attorney's office also announced that Delucca's charges of assaulting and resisting an officer would be dropped.
Rolle, his mother Clintina Rolle, and his attorney Ben Crump sat with NBC 6 in an exclusive interview Wednesday to talk about the April 18 encounter.
"I'm just trying to stop thinking about it and start focusing on school," the 15-year-old said.
