Viral Videos
Video of local police officer tripping high school students is garnering outrage
Another week, another viral video of police behaving badly. Though the latest isn't from the Austin Police Department (they're still dealing with this weekend's dog shooting incident turned public relations nightmare), our neighbors to the north are garnering national outrage after a video of a police officer purposefully tripping and pushing local high school students went viral.
Officer George Bermudez, a member of the Georgetown Police Department, was providing security for a Vandegrift High School girls soccer game at a Georgetown athletics complex on Saturday, April 19. The school, technically located in Austin but part of the Leander School District, was playing Wiley's Wiley East High School for the state championship.
The Lady Vipers went on to win the game, clinching the first statewide title ever for Vandegrift, and as students began to pour onto the field in celebration, Officer Bermudez can be seen tripping, pushing and pulling students as they attempt to join the festivities.
Public outrage was swift after local media outlets began publishing the video alongside eyewitness accounts. In response to the criticism, the Georgetown Police Department announced Monday afternoon that the officer in question has been suspended and placed on paid administrative leave.
Footage of the scene was caught by Vandegrift student Rohan Gupta, who uploaded it to YouTube. Though it seems from the video that the officer was attempting to restrain the crowd, it's unclear why Bermudez resorted to kicking and tripping the students.
The police officer will remain on leave as the Georgetown Police Department conducts an investigation.