SLED investigating Iva police brutality complaint

IVA, S.C. (AP) — State police are investigating a teen’s complaint that an Iva police officer assaulted him.

Eighteen-year-old Johnny Bombay says he didn’t stop when police tried to pull him over on May 30 because he was driving without insurance. When Bombay eventually stopped and got out of his truck, the teen said the officer slammed his face into the ground.

Bombay says he bit through his lip and that his nose bled all night. Bombay spent the night in jail and later went to the hospital, where he says staff reported his injuries to the State Law Enforcement Division.

The officer’s name has not been released. Town attorney Mary McCormac says she thinks the SLED probe will show that the officer acted appropriately.