Bridgeport teen says he was beaten by police during arrest

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WABC) -- A teenager said he was attacked by police this week, leaving him with a bruised eye, cut chin and scrapes on his body.

Around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, on Stratford Avenue in Bridgeport, an unidentified officer stopped 16-year old Eric Diaz and his friend for violating the city's 11 p.m. curfew.

Diaz said the officer hit him, then put him in a headlock.

But the Bridgeport Police Department said Diaz reached for the officer's gun belt, which he denies. A department statement said that police officers are allowed to apply force when necessary to make an arrest, especially when a suspect is resisting, as was the case here.

The video of the incident involving Diaz, which his friend recorded, surfaced just days after the city settled another brutality case caught on tape. Orlando Lopez-Soto was tased, kicked and stomped by officers three years ago. Defense attorney Robert Berke negotiated the $200,000 payout.

Diaz's mother said the police are abusing a lot of people and it has to be stopped.