Caught on video: A teenage girl being punched by a cop at Coral Square Mall

A 14-year-old girl was caught on camera being violently restrained after cops say she resisted arrest Thursday at the Coral Square Mall in Coral Springs.

The teenager is seen in a cellphone video taken by a bystander. She is face down, lying on her belly on the ground, and is punched twice in the side by a uniformed cop while being held down by another officer.

The video was provided to the Miami Herald by a person who asked to remain anonymous.

According to a Facebook post by the Coral Springs Police Department, the video, currently making the rounds on the Internet, does not tell the whole story.

“As with all social media posts, it shows only the end of the story, not the incident in its entirety which led up to the arrest,” reads the statement, which goes on to explain what allegedly occurred.

“Officers were called to the mall by security about unruly teens, who had been harassing patrons and causing a disturbance. Upon meeting with security, an officer was stopped by a mother, who indicated her 5-year old child was shoved to the ground by one of the teens.”

The post says that the girl seen in the video was seen striking another teen patron.

Security asked that Coral Springs officers issue a trespass warning and bar the teens from the mall, which they did. Before the officers left, they got another call about a separate incident. The teens who had been barred had returned to the mall. After one of the teens was taken into custody, the female teen seen in the video began cursing, “attempting to incite the other teens.”

Cops attempted to take her into custody, at which time they said she began to “fight and resist arrest.”

To get her to comply, police said the teen “was struck in the side to release her clenched fists.” After she was handcuffed, and being placed in the patrol car, she “violently kicked one of the officers.”

The girl was taken to the police department, identified and then taken to the Juvenile Assessment Center.

“The Coral Springs Police Department believes in transparency,” the department said in a separate statement. “It is important for people to have all the facts before rushing to judgment of an officer’s actions when faced with calls for service involving violent suspects — regardless of their age or gender.”