The FBI is looking into allegations of excessive force by a Missouri police officer during a traffic stop that left a teenage motorist in critical condition.
The investigation was opened to figure out if police officer Tim Runnels overstepped his authority and violated the civil rights of Bryce Maters when he pulled over the 17-year-old and used a stun gun on him on Sunday in Independence, Missouri, a Kansas City suburb, according to Reuters.
Runnels used a stun gun on Masters during the incident, claiming he wouldn't cooperate when his vehicle was stopped, Paul Thurman, an Independence Police Department spokesman, said during a news conference on Monday, according to Reuters.
There was an altercation between Masters and Runnels outside the car, prompting the use of the stun gun, according to Thurman. He failed to elaborate further on what happened however.
The incident took place just five weeks after a white officer in Ferguson, Missouri fatally shot an unarmed black teenager, sparking racial unrest and highlighting worries about the use of force by police officers.
Masters was pulled over because the car he was driving was registered to a woman who had an outstanding warrant, Thurman said. The woman was not in the vehicle at the time.
Masters was unable to roll down his window because it was broken, so Runnels dropped him on the pavement, causing him to injure his head, after handcuffing Masters outside the car, said witnesses who spoke with the Kansas City Star.
Masters was then taken to a hospital, where he remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit, Thurman confirmed.
The lawyer representing the Masters family, Daniel Haus, has requested a civil rights investigation because of "significant inconsistencies" between evidence presented by witnesses and in video compared to police accounts, according to a statement released to Reuters.
Runnels was placed on administrative leave for using a stun gun on Masters after he become uncooperative, according to Thurman.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?