South Jersey police officer charged with simple assault
Gloucester Township police placed the officer on administrative leave while the March 8 incident was investigated and suspended him March 15.
A Gloucester Township police officer has been charged with simple assault and suspended after officials said body cameras captured him hitting a handcuffed teenage girl.
Officer John Flinn was sent to investigate a reported disturbance March 8 and encountered the 13-year-old.
Camden County prosecutors said the juvenile complied with police instructions and allowed Flinn to handcuff her. But prosecutors say he "struck her twice on the side of the face, causing her to cry out in pain."
Prosecutors said his actions were captured on the body cameras of the responding officers. Flinn, 27, who has been on the force since 2015, was suspended. No criminal charges were filed against the juvenile.
Flinn initially was placed on administrative leave while the incident was investigated, and suspended on March 15, said Gloucester Police Chief Harry Earle in a message to the community Saturday. Earle said he referred the matter to the prosecutor's office.
"I am grateful of the relationship that our officers have built with the community, and I am very confident that this incident will in no way will[sic] damage that relationship," Earle said in his statement. "Our community members should rest assured that this incident was uncovered internally through our own checks and balances system and was not the result of a civilian complaint."
The Associated Press contributed to this article.