Moment cop slams black teenager's head into sidewalk leaving him bloodied

Distressing body camera footage caught the moment an Ohio cop slammed a black teenager's head into the sidewalk, leaving him bloodied, for a simple traffic violation.

The footage released by the Columbus Police Department also shows Officer Donovan Bever grabbing the 14-year-old by the hair and dragging him by his dreadlocks into his patrol vehicle on February 19.

Throughout the video, the teenager could be heard pleading with Bever, telling him 'I'm sorry' and 'I'm complying.'

He was left with a bloodied nose, and the ground underneath him was splattered with his blood.

Bever was suspended within hours of the incident, and he was finally fired from the police force on June 10.

A Columbus police officer was fired after body camera footage showed him slamming a black teenager's head into the sidewalk

Police say the violent arrest started when Bever and his partner saw a group of teenagers loitering in the street at a crosswalk near an apartment complex at around 4pm on February 19.

The cops drove up to the teenagers and said, 'Let's chat,' prompting the teens to run off, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

The unidentified partner then got out of the patrol vehicle and chased the teenage boys on foot, while Bever drove around in pursuit.

The other cop eventually caught up with two of the teenagers, pulled out his gun and raised it at the boys while ordering them to get on the ground.

'Get on the ground or I'll f****** shoot you,' the cop told the teens, NBC 4 reports.

Both teens obeyed his orders, and were on the ground by the time Bever's body camera showed him pull up to the residential neighborhood where the boys were detained.

Officer Donovan Bever ran up to where his partner had detained two suspects on February 19 with his gun drawn

Body camera footage shows him grabbing a 14 year old by the hair and slamming his face into the ground

He was seen running toward the scene with his gun drawn - and even though the boys were already on the ground, Bever ran up to one, bent down, grabbed his hair and slammed his face to the ground.

The teen could be seen groaning in pain as Bever cuffs him while holding him by the hair, and tells the cop: 'Ow, you hit my face.'

'I'm bleeding, ow my face,' he repeats again, as Bever starts rifling though his pockets.

The teen is already visibly bleeding from his mouth as Bever pulls out a phone charger and another unidentified item from the kid's pants, and throws it at the boy's face.

Police say he also struck the teen in the groin. 

Bever then grabbed the teen by his dreadlocks as he marched him toward his patrol car

Throughout the arrest, the teen tries to tell the officer that he's complying, and 'I won't do it again.'

When Bever finally asks the teen if he is alright, he says he is but asks the cop to not do that again 'because that f****** hurt.'

'And for what bro? It wasn't that serious,' the teen says.

At that point, Bever could be seen grabbing the teenager by his dreadlocks as he marched him toward his patrol car, telling the boy he is not going to let him get away again.

He then proceeded to ask the boy, 'You got AIDS?' NBC 4 reports.

Once safely in the transport vehicle, the teenager asked for a different officer - saying he didn't trust Bever.

Bever has faced three citizen complaints during his time on the force

Within hours of the arrest, Bever was placed on administrative leave. Public Safety Director Kate Pishotti then fired him on June 10.

'Our community deserves better and that 14-year-old deserved better,' she said. 

Police Chief Elaine Bryant also criticized the officers' actions, saying neither had a reason to draw weapons or use force.

She suggested they should have instead pulled over their vehicle and politely spoken to the boys about pedestrian laws.

'I was angry, disappointed, upset,' she told the Dispatch of seeing the body camera footage.

'This is not what we reflect as Columbus Division of Police. The majority of our officers have great relationships with our community.' 

She also said the department spoke with the 14 year old's grandmother - his legal guardian - immediately after the incident.

'They were disappointed by the actions of the officer, but they were relieved and happy with the swift action that the department and the director of public safety took in addressing the issue.' 

But this is not the first time Bever has been reprimanded for his actions.

He has faced three citizen complaints during his time on the force - two of which reported harassment and use of profanity or rude language.

His former supervisor once also warned him about his language, and in November 2021, Bever violated the department's policy by 'continually swearing at the arrestee while taking him into custody,' the Dispatch reports.

Then, during an April 2022 performance review, Bever was given 'constructive feedback' about his interactions with the public, and the department arranged for him to be retrained in de-escalation tactics and verbal confrontation.

It is unclear whether Bever's partner will also be reprimanded.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Columbus police for more information.