UPDATE: December 4 2015
Kissimmee police officer lost his job last week after using excessive force against a 13-year-old student, records show.
Video of Mario Badia, 41, grabbing the boy on May 8 and forcing him to the floor at Kissimmee Middle School drew widespread criticism after it was released in early November.
Badia, who had been with the department since 2013, was charged with felony child abuse and misdemeanor battery.
The video showed Badia holding the boy down for about 40 seconds by twisting an outstretched arm. The police department’s defensive tactics instructor reviewed the video and said it violated policy.
“The pain was apparent as a couple of times you see (the boy) wincing in pain on the floor,” according to Badia’s arrest affidavit.
Badia grabbed the boy after he pushed his mother and accused her of hitting him during an argument in the lobby, records show. Badia told the boy in a loud voice that his mother could hit him “because that’s your mom,” records state. The school principal’s secretary told investigators Badia tried to put his hand on the boy’s shoulder in what she considered an attempt to calm him down. But, “when the student pushed … Badia’s hand away she saw Badia grab the student and take him down to the ground,” records state.
His trial is set for Feb. 15 at the Osceola County Courthouse.
This was not his first job as a police officer. He worked for six years as a New York City police officer and 16 months with the Hollywood, Fla. police department. He has a business administration degree from the Pontifical Catholic University – Madre y Maestra in the Dominican Republic, records show.
“Officer Badia is doing a great job so far,” a supervisor wrote last year in an annual review. “Officer Badia is always willing to assist anyone from this agency or any other agency that requests assistance.”
2015/06/02
KISSIMMEE — A surveillance video has surfaced showing a school officer assault a 13-yr-old child, according to reports.
Officer Mario Badia has been charged with child abuse.
At approximately 9:00 AM, a student who was only 13-yrs-old had been attending school.
At that point Officer Badia had an “altercation” with the child, according to reports.
The incident began when the child and his mother were arguing on campus.
At some point, someone decided it would be a good idea to call the officer in response to a family argument.
The officer arrived and instead of calming they child and mother down, he evidently began abusing the child, according to reports.
The arrest statement reports that Officer Badia used his hand to reach for the child’s chin.
It is apparent that he was attempting to physically force the child’s chin in the upwards direction so the child would have to look at him.
As Officer Badia was reaching for the child’s chin, the child instinctively stepped back and blocked the hand coming toward his face, according to reports. \
That is when Officer Badia appears to have lost it.
Officer Badia began by shoving the boy backwards so that he lost his center of gravity, followed by body slamming the child to the ground, according to reports.
The reports also state that the child was “not resisting.”
Even if he had been “resisting” — a meaningless term that police use to justify abusing people — he is a child. Can a cop not handle a child without resorting to body slams?
Investigators found enough reason to proceed with charging Officer Badia with child abuse.
Officer Badia is currently at the Osceola County Jail and can be released on a bond of $5,000.
The department, of course, has not fired him but rather given him paid administrative leave while an “internal investigation” is conducted.
Watch the video below: