Ryan McKenna, the 18-year-old who went viral for taking a selfie with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl, has been accused of hitting a police officer during his alleged drunken arrest. However, new video footage has emerged showing several deputies throwing him to the ground during the incident.
The footage, obtained by TMZ, shows multiple cops attempting to detain Ryan as they struggle to get his arms behind his back. When their attempts to cuff him failed, one of the deputies can be seen yanking him by the leg and flipping him onto the concrete floor. Despite the brutal takedown, Ryan kept his arms tucked to his chest instead of putting them behind his back.
According to the law enforcement officials, the incident occurred on the eve of this year’s Super Bowl when they were called to a CPK in Naples, FL for a report of a man who was drunk and hitting his friend. As per their report, Ryan and a 15-year-old boy got into an argument that escalated to the point where Ryan pushed their table aggressively and started shouting obscenities at the boy’s girlfriend.
The deputies claim that they put their hands on Ryan to calm him down, but he yanked their hands off his chest, following which they tried to detain him, which is when the video begins. The officers arrested Ryan and booked him for felony battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and obstruction of an officer.
Ryan’s mother, Tracy, has denied that her son was drunk during the incident and stated that he was only joking around with his friends, trying to be funny by pushing the table.
This incident has led to the surfacing of new questions on police conduct, especially regarding the use of force on individuals who pose little or no threat.
