Woodlawn, MD — A disturbing video uploaded to social media this week shows cops attack a boy as he sits on the curb after he was threatened by another student. The boy, 16-year-old Alonzo Cox had just been the victim of a knife assault, according to witnesses.

The Baltimore police department is now investigating the use of force after the video caused un uproar.

On Wednesday, police were called to respond to a fight across the street from Woodlawn High School. When they showed up, no one tried to run and Alonzo sat down. As the video begins, Alonzo, whose voice has not even broken yet, appears frightened and didn’t immediately comply with the female officer when she grabbed him.

Because Alonzo pulled his hands away, the officer jumped on top of him and began dropping elbows into his head. At this point, Alonzo is so frightened that he balls up in the fetal position. That’s when the much larger male officer joined in on the pummelling.

Alonzo’s screams for help are disturbing.

On Thursday, according to Fox News Baltimore, Alonzo admitted he could have cooperated more, but said he began to fear for his life.

“I was scared,” he said. “I thought I was going to get shot that’s all that was going through my mind, ‘please don’t shoot me’,” he added, “I was scared for my life.”

After watching the terrifying video of their son getting beaten down by cops, his parents want answers.

Naturally, the police department immediately began justifying the actions of the cops.

Former Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ed Norris weighed in on the video and said he wasn’t surprised by the actions of the officers, Fox Baltimore reports.

“The problem is they’re trying to put handcuffs on this teenager and he’s resisting,” Norris said. “He put his hands on the first officer and he’s continuing to resist, they’re trying to handcuff him, he’s fighting, he’s screaming, he’s fighting and they can’t get him handcuffed, it’s very difficult to handle.”

Norris added, “If you resist an arrest against a uniformed police officer they don’t lose and they’re going to do whatever they have to do to get you in handcuffs because they want to go home at night. People forget as well, even though this teenager is unarmed and he may not be a hardened criminal by any means, but when you start fighting an arrest with the police there’s a gun in the fight, because the officer is wearing it and that’s always on their mind. People need to be cognizant of that.”

The officers knew they were responding to a fight in which a person was threatening other children with a knife. When they arrived on the scene, they saw the 14-year-old girl waving around what they called a “large knife.” Alonzo was the victim, according to witnesses.

However, the fact that Alonzo was the victim did not deter officers from escalating the situation to intense violence against a defenseless child.

“Officers approached the girl, who is 14, giving verbal commands to which she responded,” Baltimore County Police and Fire Spokesperson Elise Armacost wrote in a statement. “The girl was taken into custody without incident. The male juvenile who had been identified as a suspect in the fight did not comply with a female officer’s verbal commands and assaulted her.”

For the police to refer to Alonzo’s actions in the video below as ‘assault’, would be hilarious if it hadn’t led to his actual assault and subsequent arrest.

Cox now faces charges of 2nd degree assault, resisting arrest, and 2nd degree assault on police. The 14-year-old girl was charged with 1st and 2nd degree assault, according to Fox Baltimore.

“Baltimore County Police are reviewing the use of force involved in this incident, as is standard procedure,” Armacost wrote. “Body Worn Camera video is available and will be reviewed for evidentiary value.”

Article first appeared at The Free Thought Project.