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A 36-year-old named Stephen Hicks is facing battery charges following an altercation with a teenager at Sunshine Park. Newly released footage by First Coast News captures the incident.
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — The video, now in the hands of First Coast News, depicts an off-duty officer, identified as Hicks, forcefully pulling a teen off an e-bike by the shoulder and subsequently hurling him to the ground at Sunshine Park on Saturday.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has announced that Stephen Hicks, who has served five years with the JSO, is being charged with misdemeanor battery.
After voluntarily surrendering to the JSO’s Integrity Unit, Hicks was released on bond. He has been reassigned while the investigation is ongoing.
Officers responded to the park on Saturday afternoon following complaints about teens riding e-bikes in the skate park area, where signs clearly forbid the use of motorized bikes and scooters.
One teen told Jacksonville Beach officers that a man had pulled him off his bike and slammed him to the ground, causing minor injuries, according to investigators.
Witnesses said Hicks identified himself as an off-duty officer, showed his badge and provided his name and badge number before leaving the scene.
Addie Martin, 13, who rides her e-bike at the park regularly, says she was there Saturday and called the incident frightening.
“At the end of the day, kids are just kids and we’re just having a good time,” Martin said.
The video shows Hicks confronting the teen behind the skate park.
“It makes you scared about what could happen to my friends or even me,” Martin said.
Parents who frequent the park acknowledged safety concerns surrounding the e-bikes, but said Hicks’ actions went too far.
Allen Warkentin called e-bikes “an epidemic” at the park.
“These are fast machines,” Warkentin said. “You’ve got little 3, 4-year-olds out here in their little scooters scooting around. The last thing they need to do is get mowed over by a kid bigger than them.”
Still, Warkentin and others said the officer crossed a line.
“The actions of the officer, that’s, no. That’s too much,” he said.
Hicks was booked into Duval County Jail. JSO confirmed his most recent assignment was with the Hazardous Devices Unit.
