Video of police sparks strong emotions in Albany

ALBANY – An Albany police officer is recovered from numerous injuries after getting into a physical altercation with two teenaged girls Wednesday night in Madison Park, in the city’s Pine Hills Neighborhood.

The two young girls are facing several charges

Among the officer’s injuries, there’s a concussion caused by hits on his head with his own bicycle helmet. He was also treated for head lacerations, bite marks on his arms, abrasions to his elbows and knees, and a sprained finger.

One of the 16-year old girls has been charged with assault, robbery, and criminal mischief. The other girl faces reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, and obstruction of governmental administration.

Police say both girls are runaways from St. Anne’s Institute.

Update: Albany Police say an officer was on his bike when a 16-year-old approached him and engaged in an altercation with him. Police say that officer sustained injuries and was treated at a local hospital. Police arrested two teens, saying neither sustained injuries, and both have since been released, and both are charged.

A group of activists was posted outside an Albany Police station on Wednesday evening, after video circulated online of an officer trying to detain a female in Albany’s Pine Hills neighborhood.

She’s only a teenager, said activists, and they’re not leaving until she’s released from police custody.

There were a lot of strong emotions from the people outside.

In the video, we see an officer tussle with a girl. People are screaming she can’t breathe, while an officer is yelling for the crowd to back up.

What led up the incident is still unclear. Witnesses said a different teen not in the video was sitting on the wheel of one of the officer’s bikes.

This happened outside Paesan’s Pizza between Ontario Street and Madison. Frank Scavio, the owner of Paesan’s, said the cops assigned to his area constantly deal with harassment.

The cops used too much force on the teen, said Saratoga Black Lives Matter activists.

“He pulled up on his bike and some of the kids just pretty much surrounded him. Someone sat on his wheel and words were given and it just got ugly real fast,” said Scavio.

“There was a child that had a knee on their neck, and they were thrown around like they were a rag doll and beaten up,” said Chandler Hickenbottom, an activist. “Then they were detained afterwards and while they were being detained, they were still getting beat up.”

Police say they will continue to review the incident.