A Miami family is outraged over the way their son was treated by Miami-Dade police officers late Monday morning. Now, those same police officers are on the defensive as there has been an outcry of support for the boy, 14-year-old Tremaine McMillian.

Police officers first confronted McMillian after they saw him and another friend rough-housing with each other on the beach. Though it was clear that the boys were not actually fighting, officers still insisted that McMillian take them to his mother. When the boy walked away, that's when things took a decidedly ugly turn.

"I feel that should never have happened," said McMillian. "I don't like it. I feel sad. He got in front of me on the ATV and he slammed my hand. Then he started choking me. Then my 6-week old Pit Bull mix named Polo got hurt and bruised his front paw when the police grabbed me and slammed me down. It makes me feel sad."

Of course, police officers have a different side to the story. They contend that McMillian refused to cooperate the entire time. Once he clenched his fists and gave them 'dehumanizing stares,' the police felt they had no other option than to arrest the boy.

"When he started to leave the beach area, officers had to get off their ATVs to detain him. He had closed arms, clenched fists and pulled his arm away," Zabaleta told CBS Miami. "At that point we are not concerned with a puppy. We are concerned with the threat to the officer."

Despite the rationale given by the police department, many people are outraged over the way that the whole situation was handled. They feel that the amount of force used against Tremaine was unnecessary, especially considering the fact that he had done nothing wrong.

"I ran over with my son and used my cell phone when I saw my son and he couldn't breathe," bystander Maurissa Holmes told CBS4's Peter D'Oench. "There was no reason to slam him on the ground like that the way they did. He's a child, not an adult. For them to jump off their ATV and do this, this is wrong. I want justice. You don't do that to a child."

After his skirmish with police, McMillian was booked on charges of resisting arrest with violence, which is a felony, along with disorderly conduct. McMillian has already stated that he is considering suing the police department for their treatment of him.

An Assistant Public Defender assigned to the case has already entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Tremaine McMillian. The lawyer also asked that the court consider reevaluating the charges against the boy, but that was declined and his court date is set for Jul. 16.