A Florida police officer is out of a job after using excessive force on a 13-year-old boy who had been involved in a fight at a youth shelter.
Clearwater police Chief Dan Slaughter tells reporters that former officer Michael Leonardo, 33, made mistakes that "cannot be overlooked" when he responded to the call with two other officers on April 2.
The teen was arrested on a battery charge and led outside with his hands cuffed behind his back. Slaughter says the prospect of going back to juvenile detention riled the teen up again, and he cursed at the officers, according to an internal investigation. But that behavior didn't warrant what happened next, Slaughter said Wednesday.