FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ A Broward sheriff's deputy has been fired for an arrest in April in which he slammed a teenager's head against the asphalt, a violent encounter that drew accusations of police brutality and criminal charges against him and two other deputies.
The Broward Sheriff's Office fired Deputy Christopher Krickovich on Tuesday after the completion of a review and disciplinary hearing about the case, Sheriff Gregory Tony said Wednesday.
The sheriff had vowed accountability after cellphone videos of the April 18 arrest surged across social media showing the takedown of the teenager, Delucca Rolle, in the parking lot of a McDonald's in Tamarac, a short walk from J.P. Taravella High School.
Earlier this year, an 11-member Professional Standards Committee voted unanimously to clear Krickovich of all wrongdoing and said that no disciplinary action be taken, a union official said.
Tony said he reviewed the same investigative material, but he came to a vastly different conclusion.
"He was terminated yesterday because we don't have a policy in place that provides deputies the opportunity to slam people's faces, head into the ground, especially under those circumstances," Tony announced at a news conference.
Tony said that doesn't mean that there may not come a time when such force is necessary. Krichovich, whose legal case is still playing out in court, is expected to fight the termination.
A fight broke out April 18 after about 200 teenagers gathered at the McDonald's in Tamarac. Deputies said they had to act quickly to take control of an unruly crowd. They had one teen pinned on the ground when Rolle, of North Lauderdale, reached for a boy's cellphone on the ground.
Deputies then subdued Rolle, saying he defied orders and posed a threat. They arrested him on charges of assault of an officer, resisting arrest and trespassing.
Broward prosecutors decided just days after Rolle's arrest not to pursue charges against the 15-year-old. An investigation began into the deputies' actions. Months later, Krichovich and Deputy Gregory LaCerra were arrested on misdemeanor abuse charges and falsifying records charges, also misdemeanors. Their cases are still playing out in court.
A third deputy, Ralph Mackey, was arrested on the charge of falsifying records, but he was acquitted of that in September. Tony announced Wednesday that Mackey received a written reprimand for failing to turn on his recording device.
LaCerra's case has not wrapped up internally, and because of that, Tony said he would not be commenting until after LaCerra's predisciplinary hearing, typically the last step in the agency's disciplinary process.
Video taken by a bystander shows LaCerra pushing the teen's head back when the teen tried to grab a cellphone. Video then captures LaCerra pepper-spraying the teen. After LaCerra gets the teen to the ground. Krickovich is seen slamming Rolle's head to the ground and then punching him.
The backlash that surfaced was immediate with many calling for the immediate termination of the deputies. Tony said Wednesday the matter had to run its course.
