CLEARWATER, Fla. - A Clearwater police officer has been fired after a review found excessive force was used on a teenager in custody.
Michael Leonardo was dismissed from the force after an internal review of an incident from April 2.
Officers were originally responding to a 13-year-old who was violently breaking things, slamming windows and screaming.
When officers arrived, he was put in handcuffs.
Officer Leonardo began to escort the kid to a police car.
Surveillance video then shows a struggle, where Leonardo slammed the 13-year-old to the ground.
The teenager suffered a broken nose, abrasions to his face and chipped teeth.
Leonardo was placed on administrative duty, then dismissed after the investigation was complete.
The other officers in the video received corrective action and re-training.
Officer Leonardo had never been investigated for excessive force before, and was in the military for eight years.
According to Slaughter, Leonardo said after reviewing the video, he did see that he had better options.
