Dancing teen speaks to FOX 5 about viral video with DC cop

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A dance video featuring a D.C. police officer and a teenager is going viral for all of the right reasons.

The stars of the video met when police responded Tuesday afternoon to a confrontation between two groups on K Street in Southwest D.C. As a female officer tried to disperse the crowd, 17-year-old Aaliyah Taylor approached her and started dancing to “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).” The officer challenged the teen to a dance-off to a song by rapper DLow.

Taylor, a Ballou High School senior, told FOX 5 that the officer helped calm a tense situation.

“It changed a lot of people’s minds because usually people out here saying cops are bad, but not all cops are bad. And that just showed that not all cops are bad. There’s still some good cops out here and that is one of them," said Taylor. 

As of Thursday afternoon, a Facebook video of the dance battle had more than 600,000 views.

It has received attention worldwide, including from President Obama. He tweeted, "Who knew community policing could involve the Nae Nae? Great example of police having fun while keeping us safe."

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In a statement, Police Chief Cathy Lanier also praised the officer:

The unidentified officer has been with D.C. police for about three years and served in Iraq.