Police are investigating after the 16-year-old was taken to hospital with minor injuries following his arrest on Monday at a Surry Hills park in inner Sydney.
The teenager allegedly told a male police officer "I'll crack you in the f***ing jaw, bro" before he was swept to the ground. The teen was subsequently released without charge.
NSW Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller, told 2GB radio: "This is a case of two things - is it reasonable for someone to swear and threaten a police officer? And then, is the force the officer used reasonable?"
"I don't know what happened before in terms of the lead-up but there was probably other ways the officer could have dealt with that matter, no doubt.
"I totally accept that officers need to show restraint."
Footage of the arrest was captured on a mobile phone and posted on social media.
After being threatened, the officer can be seen telling the teenager to turn around and put his hands behind his back. He then kicks the young man's legs out from beneath him and handcuffs him while pinning him to the ground.
A bystander can be heard yelling: "You just slammed him on his face. He's in pain."
The teenager's sister Ali Mongta-Finn told the ABC's triple j Hack program on Tuesday her brother was distraught and his teeth were chipped.
Redfern Legal Centre has also referred the matter to the independent police watchdog.
Police Minister David Elliott on Wednesday said Sydney "was not Minnesota", referencing the death of George Floyd in US police hands in Minneapolis on May 25.
Read the full article here (Illawara Mercury, 3 June 2020)
