Officers suspended after girl sprayed

The city of Rochester has suspended police officers seen in body-camera videos spraying a chemical "irritant" in the face of a distraught and handcuffed 9-year-old girl, officials announced on Monday.

The city did not specify how many officers were suspended. The suspensions will last at least until an internal police investigation is completed.

The action was announced as community outrage swelled following the release of footage on Sunday showing officers restraining and scolding the girl, who was screaming for her father. At one point, an officer is heard telling her to "stop acting like a child", to which she cried, "I am a child".

"What happened Friday was simply horrible, and has rightly outraged all of our community," Mayor Lovely Warren said in a statement.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Monday: "As a human, this incident is disturbing and as a father, it's heartbreaking－this isn't how the police should treat anyone, let alone a 9-year-old girl."

Agencies via Xinhua