Chaos Erupts as Maryland Police Tase and Hogtie Teen After Vaping on Boardwalk

Chaos erupted on a Maryland boardwalk on Saturday when police tased and hogtied a teen after initially approaching him for vaping.

Shocking video shows the 19-year-old with his hands in the air, surrounded by five Ocean City officers, barking orders to get on the ground. But as he reaches back to unhook his backpack, one officer fires their taser, hitting him in the stomach and dropping him to the ground.

"Stop!" horrified witnesses scream. "He was listening! Something's wrong with you. You did that for no reason."

Piling on top, police cuff him, kneel on his ankles to bind his feet together, before four of them haul the hogtied teenager away.

"All of this for one person. Because of a vape. This s--- needs to be brought to everyone's attention," the person who filmed the incident wrote. "Literally HOG TIED him, took his shoes off & took his pants while he was in there."

"They asked him to take his bookbag off," she added. "He wasn't reaching for anything. He was doing what they asked the whole time."

As subsequent videos show, tensions quickly escalated as a crowd gathered and started shouting protests, and more police were quickly summoned.

In a separate video shot from a balcony above, five officers can be seen piling on top of another man face down on the ground, before one of them drives his knee five times into his ribs, roaring at him "Give me you hand!" and "Stop resisting!" while the crowd audibly winces with every blow. The man yells, "I'm not resisting! Tell me what you're arresting me for!"

Several more scuffles broke out as officers detained three more people, one of whom was also tasered and dropped to the ground.

In a lengthy statement, the Town of Ocean City said an "ordinance violation" had led to four arrests.

It said that around 8:28 PM, foot patrol officers observed a large group vaping on the boardwalk, and approached them to tell them it was prohibited outside the designated areas.

"As the group walked away, officers observed the same male start vaping again. Officers approached the group again to further address the violation," the statement claims. "During the course of the interaction, the male refused to provide his proof of identification and became disorderly. A large crowd of people began to form around the officers."

Identifying the teen as 19-year-old Brian Everett Anderson, they said they attempted to place him under arrest for violating the local ordinance and failing to produce ID.

"Anderson began to resist arrest," they claimed.

He was charged with disorderly conduct, resist/interfere with arrest, assault second degree, and failure to provide proof of identity.

They said another teen, 19-year-old Kamere Anthony Day, "was yelling profanities and approaching officers during the lawful arrest."

"Officers placed a marked police bike in front of Day and advised him to back up. Day refused to comply with the officer's orders, continued yelling profanities while attempting to approach the officers placing Anderson under arrest."

Day was then charged with disorderly conduct, obstructing and hindering, failure to obey reasonable and lawful order, resist/interfere with arrest, and assault second-degree.

According to the authorities, officers and Public Safety Aides attempted to provide a perimeter "to separate the aggressive and hostile crowd and the officers making an arrest."

They said they observed a third teen, 18-year-old Jahtique Joseph John Lewis, pushing one of the PSAs in the chest while yelling profanities, before picking up a bike and attempting to hit him with it. He was charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, obstructing & hindering, assault second degree and resist/interfere with arrest.

The fourth teen, 19-year-old Khalil Dwayne Warren, was observed "standing on private property next to two 'no trespassing signs'. Officers gave Warren a lawful order to leave the private property if he was not staying at the property. Warren became disorderly."

He was arrested and charged with trespassing-posted property, and resist/interfere with arrest.

All four were later released on their own personal recognizance.

"We are aware of the social media videos circulating regarding this incident," the statement concluded. "Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance.

"All uses of force go through a detailed review process. The uses of force from these arrests will go through a multi-level examination by the Assistant Patrol Commander, the Division Commander and then by the Office of Professional Standards."