North Yorkshire Police investigating after video appears to show officer punch teenager in face who had been arrested in Scarborough

In the video, two police officers are seen restraining a teenager on the ground, with one of them kneeling on top of him. The other officer appears to then punch the teen in the side of the face, causing his head to hit the pavement.

The teenager can be heard saying: "You are battering me".

North Yorkshire Police said a teenager has been arrested after two police officers were assaulted in Scarborough, who were responding to a report of a 17-year-old boy missing from home.

The incident happened at 9.10pm on Eastborough outside Rob's Tattoo Studio on Friday, September 3.

The 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assaulting two police officers who were carrying out enquiries.

The clip has been shared widely on social media and had racked up 1.1 million views on TikTok alone before later being deleted.

In an updated statement, North Yorkshire Police said: "The incident, part of which was filmed on a mobile phone and footage circulated online, has been referred to North Yorkshire Police’s Professional Standards Department as a matter of course so the full circumstances surrounding the incident can be investigated."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has told The Scarborough News they have not received a referral for the incident at this stage.

The IOPC oversees the police complaints system in England and Wales. They set the standards by which the police should handle complaints and investigate the most serious matters.

Officers are urging anyone who witnessed the incident to call 101, select option one and quote reference number 12210194736.

The teenager has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.