Police release video showing crash between Florida officer, 8-year-old on dirt bike
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SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) - Sarasota police released video Wednesday of a crash between an officer's patrol car and an 8-year-old boy on a dirt bike.
The crash happened Monday, and the officer's body-worn camera captured the moment the vehicle struck the child, and the intense and emotional minutes that followed.
Due to its graphic and disturbing nature, Nexstar's WFLA has chosen not to show the full video.
The officer exited the vehicle and began to perform chest compressions on the child, who was lying unresponsive in the roadway. A crowd began to form around the child and the officer and became increasingly agitated in the aftermath of the crash.
"You hit my f****** nephew!" a man shouted to the officer in a panic. "You did this!"
Minutes later, officers carried the child, still unresponsive, to an ambulance. He had a visibly broken leg. The video ends seconds later.
The boy remained hospitalized at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital on Wednesday.
"We cannot imagine how difficult this is for his family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you," Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche said in a video statement.
The officer involved in the incident was placed on restricted administrative duty as Sarasota police and the Florida Highway Patrol conduct an investigation.