Sarasota Deputy On Leave Following Altercation With Teen

SARASOTA, FL — A Sarasota County Sheriff's deputy remains on administrative leave following an incident in which he could be seen on surveillance video striking a Black, 17-year-old inmate and grabbing the teen by the neck.

Eighteen-year Deputy Neil Pizzo claimed in a report of the Sept. 1 incident that the teen was uncooperative and combative. The deputy said the teen was given multiple orders to remove his hands from his shorts but the teen refused saying he was cold.

Instead the teen boasted: "If we were on the streets, I'll blow your head off and kill you," according to an incident report. "Plus, you're not a real cop."

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight said an investigation was underway to determine whether Pizzo's actions were consistent not only with agency policy but also his expectations of deputies.

"Right now, we are focusing on hearing from everyone involved, reviewing all evidence, and conducting a thorough investigation," the sheriff said in a statement. "We will get to the bottom of this and make a determination as soon as possible while still following sheriff’s office procedure.”

Watch video of the altercation below courtesy of the Sarasota Sheriff's Office:

The 46-year-old Pizzo insisted in his account of the incident that the use of force was justified to restrain the teen, who was in the facility on drug charges as well as a probation violation.

"I saw the look in his eyes and the stance that he immediately went into," Pizzo wrote. "It was eminent I was going to be attacked and struck. I immediately stepped back from the potential strike and was able to close the distance between us. I was forced to step in and defend myself and the other persons within the room."

Pizzo acknowledged Striking the teen but said he was met with "strong resistance." Patch is withholding the teen's name because of his age.

"I was able to push him into the wall with my left arm holding his upper torso until backup arrived," Pizzo said.

The deputy said he applied a "take-down technique" by pulling the teen's arms and upper body to the ground to gain control.

"Once on the ground he continued to fight and refused several commands to place his hands behind his back," Pizzo wrote. "I delivered three open hand strikes to avoid harming him."

The deputy said he delivered another open hand strike to the teen's midsection and two open hands to his upper torso.

"I then was able to grab his left arm and place a handcuff on him," Pizzo said in his account.

Once the teen was restrained, he was taken to Sarasota Memorial Health Care System for treatment of a cut to his head, according to the incident report.