Anthony Spence: Baltimore School Resource Officer Caught On Camera Slapping And Kicking A Student [Video]

Anthony Spence, a Baltimore school resource officer, is in hot water after being caught on cell phone video slapping, kicking, and cursing at a teenager, ABC News is reporting.

On Tuesday afternoon, a student at Baltimore’s REACH Partnership School in Clifton Park recorded the school’s resource officer, later identified as Spence, having a violent confrontation with a teenager. Another officer stands behind as the assault takes place.

In the video, which you can watch below, the officer can be seen backhanding the teenager, then slapping him again with the front of his hand, yelling “Go the f**k home! Get the f**k out of here!” slapping him a third time, and kicking the youth as he walks away. The confrontation begins at 0:33. Warning: This video contains violent content and strong language, and may be disturbing to some viewers.

As the Baltimore Sun reports, Spence’s attorney, Mike Davey, says that Spence and the unidentified officer were responding to reports of an illegally-parked car at the school. While investigating, the two cops encountered two teenagers who were not wearing school uniforms. The cops tried to get the youths to prove they were students at the school by naming the school’s principal – something they were unable to do. The officers asked the youths to leave. One left immediately, the other did not. It was then that the violent altercation occurred.

According to WJZ (Baltimore), the teen’s lawyer, Lauren Geisser, said he has been hospitalized with bruised ribs.

“As a lawyer, my gut reaction is it’s horrible, this should never happen, we have laws in place to protect this. And as a mother, I think I look at this video as any parent would and it makes the hair on my arms stand up.”

The video was posted on Facebook, where it caught the attention of the local media, community leaders, and, most importantly, the Baltimore School’s Police Department.

Spence, the unidentified cop in the video, and Baltimore Schools Police Chief Marshall Goodwin have been placed on administrative leave while the Baltimore Police Department investigates.

An investigation by the Baltimore Sun reveals that Spence has had a checkered career in law enforcement.

In 2003, while working with the Baltimore Sheriff’s Department, Spence was involved in a violent confrontation with an innocent man. Spence and two other deputies apparently mistook a construction worker for a bank robber and arrested him. A third officer fired a Taser at the man. All three officers involved in the incident were fired, and the city of Baltimore settled with the man for $200,000. Spence claimed at the time that he was wrongfully terminated.

In 2011, Spence was the subject of an order of protection filed by his then-girlfriend, also a school resource officer. The girlfriend at the time claimed that Spence had struck her in the face following an argument, tried to prevent her from driving away, and called for backup from other school resource officers.

Nine days later, for reasons that aren’t clear, the girlfriend had the order of protection rescinded.

Anthony Spence is not the first school cop caught on video roughing up a teenager. In October 2015, Ben Fields, a school resource officer in South Carolina, became the subject of intense controversy, according to this Inquisitr report, when he was caught on video slamming a teenage student to the floor while she was still seated at her desk.

Fields was later fired for the incident.

As of this writing, no criminal charges have yet been taken against Anthony Spence.

Do you believe Anthony Spence deserves to be fired, or face criminal charges, for his actions this week? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Image via YouTube]