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A plainclothes NYPD punch incident of a 12-year-old boy has started an investigation by Internal Affairs after a short video surfaces. Witnesses say the officer rushed up and attacked the teen, according to The Spreadit. Uniformed officers can be seen subduing the suspect while another one in plainclothes rushed up to him. Sarah Doneghy, a bystander, yelled for them to stop.

“Stop it (to the NYPD) … He’s 12! Why would you just do that? After everything that’s happened! I’m a lawyer — I’m writing all this down.”

The plainclothes officer didn’t stop. The whole thing went down in a matter of seconds as witnesses watched in horror. It appeared as though the uniformed cops were following procedure, except for the plainclothes officer.

“Like he would come up from behind like it on a blonde-haired, blue-eyed kid … That’s acceptable to you, because he’s an animal? That’s acceptable to you? There’s no way you’d treat a white kid like that.”

The plainclothes NYPD officer who began to punch the 12-year-old had followed the boy after a crime, according to Gawker. The NYPD said that the two teens were accused of assaulting a man with a cane. It hasn’t been a good year for police since the Ferguson and “I can’t breathe” incidents.

As the teens were being placed in the car, they kept asking the plainclothes officer why they were being arrested. Another teen began to question the arrest and asked the plainclothes officer if he can tell them what crime they committed. This went on until the doors of the car were shut.

The plainclothes cop has not been identified, but an investigation has been opened. Some people who saw the video suggest that the officer broke policies and labeled the arrest as police abuse. While the video caught the arrest, others who watched the incident said there is more to the story.

However, it’s hard to justify why a plainclothes NYPD officer can punch a 12-year-old repeatedly in the stomach, notes the Huffington Post. Police department spokeswoman Sophia Mason said the incident involving the plainclothes officer is under review with their Internal Affairs Bureau. Witnesses say the arrest of the boy was made last Wednesday.