Durham police say they will look into video showing altercation between officer, teen

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Durham police say they will look into a video showing an altercation between an officer and a teen at a convenience store in January.

Tony Scott, 16, was initially charged with two felonies -- assaulting a police officer and assault causing serious bodily injury -- after the altercation. However, those charges were dropped this week.

It was caught on surveillance video inside a convenience store across the street from Hillside High School.

Scott says he and his friends walked to the store during their lunch period.

"The officer approached me...He asks me can he search me. And I'm backing up like no," Scott said. "I put my hands up. He grabbed both of my hands. He's like, 'you gone let me search you.' We're just going back and forth. I'm cursing at him. I'm letting him know that he not gonna search me. So he grabbed me and pulled me up to the counter trying to slam me and I run off."

According to court documents, the officer dislocated his shoulder during the tussle and was out for several days on medical leave.

Scott told ABC11 on Thursday that the officer did not explain why he wanted to search him.

He said he heard later that the officer suspected the teen may have been in possession of marijuana.

When ABC11 asked Scott why he did not feel comfortable being searched he said: "How he did it. How it just started. He just looked around the store and came to me."

Scott's attorney Julian M. Hall called it "appalling."

The district attorney's office did not say why they dismissed the charges when asked for comment on Thursday.

In the paperwork from the DA's office, the reason for dismissal was listed as: "In the interest of justice."

Durham police sent this statement to ABC11: "Thank you for bringing this concern to our attention. While we have not yet received a complaint, I want to assure you that we'll look into this matter and, if warranted, a thorough investigation will be conducted and appropriate action taken."