Man says Norfolk officers slammed him to ground, broke tooth

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - A young, black man has filed an excessive force complaint against the Norfolk police.

The Virginian-Pilot reports (https://bit.ly/1S3zROK) 21-year-old Bryant M. Stith says the morning of March 22 he was walking down the street in North Norfolk. He says an officer was following four teenagers in a pickup when the teens left the truck and fled. The officer asked if Stith saw where they went, and Stith said no.

A second officer arrived and told Stith to come to him. Stith says he walked toward the officer and the officer grabbed his arm, said he was a suspect and tried to push him against a cruiser.

When Stith asked why he was being manhandled, Stith says the officer slammed him on the sidewalk, breaking his front tooth.

The two white officers eventually let Stith go.

Norfolk Police haven’t replied to a request for comment from the newspaper.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, https://pilotonline.com