Bodycam Shows Officer Detain Autistic Teen He Thought Was Using Drugs

A police department has defended an officer after he was filmed detaining a 14-year-old autistic boy who he thought was taking drugs.

The youngster was held on the ground in July when Officer David Grossman from Buckeye police department in Arizona, US, believed he was using an inhalant.

At the time, he was actually self-stimulating, which is common among those on the autistic spectrum and involves a repetitive behaviour, which has a calming effect.

The boy held a piece of yarn close to his face, but Officer Grossman apparently mistook this for inhaling.

Bodycam footage released by the police department shows the officer approaching the teenager , who holds up the yarn and tries to explain what he was doing.

It then shows the officer, who is trained in drug use recognition, grabbing and handcuffing the boy, which sends him into a panic. The youngster shouts: "I'm ok, I'm ok."

They are then seen on the ground, where the officer holds the teenager and tells him to 'stay down'.

Buckeye Police Department maintains that the officer did not do anything wrong and says the pair fell during a struggle.

However, the family has hired an attorney.