OFFICER ARRESTED IN ASSAULT ON RESTRAINED TEEN.

Byline: SUSAN ABRAM Staff Writer

A 13-year veteran with the Los Angeles Police Department was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of assaulting a handcuffed teenager during a routine booking procedure that was partially videotaped.

Police said Sean Joseph Meade, 41, assaulted a 16-year-old Latino teen while processing his arrest at the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division for violating curfew.

Police would not disclose how Meade assaulted the teen, saying an internal and criminal investigation is still being conducted. But LAPD spokesman Lt. Paul Vernon emphasized that the assault cannot be categorized as a beating. He also said no weapon was used, but the teen was handcuffed at the time.

Meade was arrested by his colleagues at the sheriff's station in Pico Rivera and is being held with bail set at $10,000. Prosecutors have yet to file charges.

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton said he was concerned that an officer engaged in use of force the chief felt was inappropriate. The chief also said the teen did not provoke the attack.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement he was ``deeply disturbed by the allegations.''

``I believe that abuse of authority in the use of force, especially when directed at a minor, is a grave violation of the trust we place in law enforcement and an insult to the values of the brave men and women of the LAPD who put their lives on the line to keep us safe,'' Villaraigosa said. ``If a crime was committed, I expect the case to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.''

The arrest comes as the LAPD is under fire after the emergence of two videos last month showing officers physically engaged with suspects. In one, a Hollywood Division officer is seen punching a man repeatedly in the face. In another video, an officer pepper-sprays an arrestee already seated in a patrol car in Venice.

In both cases, officers have said they were protecting themselves while subduing unruly suspects.

Meade and his unidentified partner were booking the 16-year-old at 1:25 a.m Tuesday when a third officer heard what was described as a disturbance coming from the juvenile holding cell, police said. The officer alerted the station's watch commander, who initiated a personnel complaint investigation.

Photographs of the holding room, the officer and the teen were taken. The teen, whose name was not released, also was examined at a local hospital but no injuries were reported. He remains in custody at juvenile hall because his parents or guardian have not been found, police said.

A camera that had been installed near the holding room to deter suspects from vandalism captured a portion of the incident. Police are not releasing the tape because state law limits the amount of information they can disclose during an investigation.

After reviewing the tape, Bratton ordered that Meade be relieved of duty Wednesday and arrested Thursday.

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com

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