Black Store Owner Calls 911 to Report Robbery, Gets Punched in the Face by White Cop | 22 Words

The Decatur Police Department in Alabama have some answering to do after one of their officers was filmed punching a store owner in the face after he called them to report a robbery.

Keep scrolling to read more about this shocking story, and to watch the footage from the incident for yourself...

As thousands of people protest and riot against the unlawful death of George Floyd, tensions surrounding our police force have never been so high.

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 Police brutality has been happening for centuries, and it is the black men, women, and children who have suffered the most. But, this month, we have had enough of it.

It all started last month.

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 On Monday, May 25th, a defenseless black man was killed while in a police restraint.

George Floyd was arrested and forced to the ground...

Where former police officer, Derek Chauvin, proceeded to kneel on his neck, while 3 other officers knelt on his back.

Footage of George's "arrest" quickly circulated on social media...

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 And, in the highly distressing scenes, he could be heard begging with the officers to release him and repeatedly saying "Please, please... I can't breathe."

After nearly ten minutes, George was completely unresponsive.

An ambulance arrived and took the unconscious man to hospital but, devastatingly, he was pronounced dead upon arrival. He was only forty-six years old.

This kind of police brutality has been happening for centuries now...

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 But George's death has sparked an outrage like never before.

Thousands upon thousands of people have been taking to the streets in protest...

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 And they are all marching for one thing: For the blatant racism and injustice in this country to be brought to an end.

Protests have been taking place all over the world.

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 From the United Kingdom to New Zealand, the global solidarity has been incredible to see.

But things have been quick to turn violent.

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 Protesters became interweaved with rioters and, as they continue to clash with police, the scenes unfolding across our country have been becoming steadily more violent.

It's a truly terrifying time.

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 But change needs to be done and, at the moment, this seems like the only way to make it happen.

The riots have been raging on...

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 And several people - protestors, rioters, and police officers alike - have been badly injured.

Police officers have been forced to resort to violence in order to maintain the riots...

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 And this has only fueled the nation's anger further.

Tensions surrounding our police force are continuing to escalate.

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 Police racism has been casually happening across our country for centuries, and it needs to end now.

But, while the protests rage on, more stories of genuine and kind police officers have been emerging.

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 Last month, we heard about the story of the Sheriff who put down his hat and weapons to march peacefully with the protesters.

And, at a protest in Houston, Texas, this police officer was seen comforting a frightened little girl.

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 A kind-hearted officer took the time to give a little girl, who had started crying as a result of the violence, a hug and some words of comfort.

But not all police officers have been gaining this kind of respect.

While countless officers have been commended for their solidarity during the riots, one police force has come under serious fire.

The Decatur Police Department in Alabama have been questioned after footage of their assault on a black store owner went viral.

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 The store owner, Kevin Penn, had called 911 on March 15th following a robbery.

In the CCTV footage, Penn can be seen waiting for the officers to arrive...

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 But, when they did, things took a drastic turn for the worst.

When 3 armed officers arrived, one of them instructed Penn to put his gun down, despite him not holding a weapon.

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 "I got you, but you need to have your gun put down," the officer can be heard saying. "My gun is here. I'm not going to put my gun down if you got guns," Penn replied, even though he is holding only a magazine.

At this, things suddenly became violent.

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 The officers suddenly rushed forward and restrained Penn who, at this point, still hadn't acted violently.

Then, one of the officers violently punched Penn across the face.

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 He suffered a broken jaw and had his teeth knocked out, and he was later dragged out of his store and charged with obstruction.

Penn is now suing the department.

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 His lawyer, Carl Cole, argues that Penn was simply showing the gun to the police to let them know he was armed, had removed the clip, and had even ejected the bullet from the chamber, AL.com reported.

You can watch the shocking footage for yourself here.

And now, since it has gone viral, the police department has issued a statement.

But now, since the footage went viral, the department has come forward to defend themselves.

In their statement from a recent press conference, they simply stated that they did eventually arrest the shoplifter, and didn't once offer any form of apology to Penn. All 3 officers are still working on the force during the investigation.

But Penn believes it was a case of racial stereotyping.

"It was a mistaken identity," he said. "They didn't know who the owner was versus the suspect. When you get there you see a guy with a gun in their hand, even if it's a magazine in their hand, it still brings you a second breath."

But he said the "real blessing" was that no shots were fired.

Penn was able to walk away with a broken jaw, a few missing teeth but, thankfully, his life, which isn't the case for many black men at the hands of the police.