A Byron Bay police officer who allegedly tasered a teenage boy before repeatedly bashing him with a baton has been charged with assault.
Police said the 16-year-old boy was aggressive and highly intoxicated when it took four officers to arrest him near a hostel in Lateen Lane in January 2018.
The night manager called triple zero after the naked boy was seen lying in the middle of the road, describing his behaviour as "strange" and "erratic".
Mobile phone vision shows capsicum spray and being used to help detain the boy before a male officer strikes him with a baton at least 18 times.
The boy, who was holidaying in Byron Bay with his family, told the arresting officers "I'm not resisting" in the footage.
The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission probed the incident and found police were correct to arrest the boy but there was no justification for "use of grossly excessive force".
The independent inquiry suggested the officer could be prosecuted over the incident for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and sacked by the police commissioner.
Throughout questioning, the officer insisted that the degree of force he used was necessary.
The President of the NSW Police Association, Tony King, has previously said drugs and alcohol pose particularly dangerous challenges for officers.
The male officer has now been charged with common assault, but the ABC understands he has been moved to a different Local Area Command.
He is due to face Byron Bay Local Court in December.
