FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Editor's Note: This video is from March 2022 about new technology the Fairfax County Police unveiled that would help solve cases.
The Fairfax County Police Department is under internal review due to a viral video of two of their officers pointing guns at a juvenile filming an arrest. The video was originally posted on Reddit but eventually made its way to Twitter where it received over a million views within a day.
As the juvenile held a phone and walked toward the scene of the arrest, an officer approaches him with a gun pointed. The juvenile asks the officer why he is pointing the gun at him, and the officer responds by saying because he has a weapon.
"What weapon? What weapon? Huh? You look dumb," the juvenile responds.
Before the video ends, a second officer approaches the juvenile with a gun drawn and screaming at him to get on the ground.
Fairfax Police say the Saturday evening incident started when three-four juveniles entered an IHOP on Arlington Boulevard, and allegedly threatened a hostess. One of the juveniles was accused of lifting his shirt and revealing a handgun in his waistband.
The juveniles left the area but later returned to get the employee to come outside the restaurant to the parking lot, police said. Officers arrived at the scene and detained two of the juveniles, but did not find a weapon.
While detaining the two juveniles, a third juvenile approached officers while holding something in his hand, which officers later learned was the phone to record the incident. He was ordered to the ground at gunpoint, according to police. No weapon was found on the third juvenile.
The three juveniles were detained and later released to their parents.
"As with all pointing of a firearm events, the incident is under review," a spokesperson wrote in a statement sent to WUSA9.
The investigation has been assigned to a detective in the Fairfax County Criminal Investigation Division.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisor Chair Jeff McKay released this statement about the incident:
"I assure you that a thorough investigation will take place and that its findings will be shared with our community. The pointing of a firearm prompts an internal review that will be monitored by the Independent Police Auditor who reports directly to the Board. Ensuring our officers are following departmental policies and the expectations of our community are of paramount importance."