'Police brutality on young black boys has to stop': IPCC probe launched after teenager seriously hurt during detention by Met Police

An IPCC investigation is under way after a teenager was hospitalised with severe injuries when he was detained by Metropolitan Police officers.

Shortly after 9pm on Tuesday (November 21), officers tried to arrest 15-year-old Terrell Decosta Jones-Burton, who was riding a bicycle in Bermondsey following reports of a robbery.

The teenager “came off his bike” and suffered severe injuries, which his mother Shereen Jones claims includes bruising on the brain, missing teeth, abdominal pain and a broken gum.

An investigation into the incident has been launched by Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) , who has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

“Officers attempted to detain a 15-year-old riding a bicycle along Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, following reports of a robbery,” the IPCC statement said.

“The cyclist came off his bicycle and sustained facial injuries. An ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital where he remains in a stable condition.”

Speaking on Wednesday (November 22) after the incident in Southwark Park Road, Ms Jones called for justice for her injured son, who lives in South Bermondsey.

“He has no criminal record and no involvement with the police,” Ms Jones wrote on social media.

“On his way to the hospital, in the ambulance, he had a seizure – it has been confirmed that he has bruising on the brain and the bone inside the gum has been broken.

“The police are accusing Terrell of the robbery of a mobile phone. Was all of this necessary over a phone? Police brutality on young black boys has to stop.”

In a statement released on Wednesday (November 22), a spokesman for the Met Police said: “Police were called at approximately 9.05pm to reports of a robbery in Albion Street.

“The female victim informed officers that her mobile phone had been stolen by a male youth who had then fled on a bicycle.

“A short while later, officers detained a 15-year-old male youth on a bicycle in Southwark Park Road."

The spokesman added: “While being detained, the male came off his bicycle and was taken by the London Ambulance Service to a south London hospital where he remains in a stable condition with facial injuries.

“The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards and Independent Police Complaints Commission were informed as is routine.”

Anyone who may have witnessed the police interaction with the teenager is asked to contact IPCC investigators on 0800 029 4687 or southwarkparkroad@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk.

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