A sheriff’s deputy in Fort Myers, Florida has resigned after he was caught on video striking a teenager in the face while the teen was wearing handcuffs. Deputy Blake Grossi of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office elbowed 17-year-old Bienvenido Roman in the face during an arrest on February 12.
Grossi didn’t know that a neighbor was video recording the incident when he struck Roman in the face without provocation. On February 20 Lee County Sheriff announced that Grossi had resigned from his duties. Grossi was initially put on administrative leave after the assault, according to NBC 2 News.
A Statement from Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno:
“On Thursday, February 14, 2019, I learned of an incident where a suspect in our custody was mistreated. Regardless of what occurred prior to this incident, our deputies are held to the highest standards, we respect everyone’s constitutional rights, and we will not tolerate mistreatment of any suspect. The deputy involved has resigned, and is no longer subject to our internal disciplinary process; however, this does not end our responsibility, the matter is being referred to the State Attorney’s Office for review.”
