Richfield officer on leave after video showed him hitting teen

Richfield police say an officer shown in a video apparently slapping a Somali teen on the back of the head during a stop has been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne also met Tuesday with Omar Jamal, head of the Somali Human Rights Commission, the department said, adding that it takes the complaint seriously.

Authorities promised a thorough investigation into the Saturday incident. The video posted on Twitter shows the officer pushing and hitting the young man who was talking on a cellphone.

The teen in the video, Kamal Gelle, told the Associated Press he had a headache afterward but wasn't severely injured.

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