The Suspect Ran Onto the Roof. A Cop Sent Him Flying

After a seven-month internal investigation, a Florida police department has found that two of its officers flouted policy on the use of force in pushing a teen suspect off a roof. WKMG reports the 41-page document released Wednesday by the Kissimmee Police Department says officer Plenio Massiah was goaded into shoving 18-year-old Yadiel Torres off a home's roof during the March 3 incident by Sgt. Anthony Amada. Per the Washington Post, Torres' ex-girlfriend had accused him of holding onto her car for a week without her permission after a fight, and police were dispatched to a home in Kissimmee where the car had been spotted. Police records say Torres ran up the stairs then used a window to access the roof; Massiah followed Torres, who can be seen on bodycam video sitting on the edge of the roof.

Amada, who was in the yard below, can be heard in the footage saying, "Push him off the roof. Push him off. Just push him off." Massiah did, shoving Torres' shoulder, as seen on the video. Torres, who was also tased after he fell 9 feet to the ground, wasn't injured, but his fall could've resulted in "significant injury," the internal affairs report says. For his role, Massiah received an eight-hour suspension (he chose to give up a vacation day), while internal affairs recommended Amada be terminated, as he was a 14-year veteran who should've known better, per the Orlando Sentinel. He resigned before that could happen. Torres, meanwhile, was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. He pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced to probation. (More Florida stories.)