The New York City Police Department is reviewing an incident in which a group of officers appeared to pull a toddler from the arms of his mother at a social services office in Brooklyn, NBC News reported Sunday.
A video that racked up hundreds of thousands of views on Facebook showed officers approaching a woman identified as Jazmine Headley, 23, who was lying on the floor of the social services building. The officers attempt to pull a 1-year-old child from her arms, and at one point an officer appears to display a taser.
An NYPD spokesperson said police were called by staff at the building after Headley refused to leave. She was later charged with resisting arrest, according to NBC.
{mosads}The department called video of the incident “troubling,” according to NBC News, and said the interaction is under review.
Video of the encounter drew outrage from local officials. Letitia James, the New York City public advocate and state attorney general-elect, decried the footage in a Facebook post on Sunday night.
“Being poor is not a crime,” she wrote. “The actions of the NYPD in this video are appalling and contemptible.
“A full investigation must be conducted immediately, and the results should be made public so there is a transparent accounting of how this horrific situation occurred,” she added. “All involved officers, including the assigned supervisor, should be assigned desk duty pending the investigation results. No mother should have to experience the trauma and humiliation we all witnessed in this video.”