This is one of the most blatant cases of ‘excessive force’ we’ve seen in quite some time.
A California Highway Patrolman tackled a woman on the roadside shoulder as she was walking eastbound on the 10 freeway in Los Angeles. He then proceeded to repeatedly punch her in the face.
David Diaz shot the video of the violent confrontation from his car. Diaz says he has no idea what spurred the beating, just that before he got his camera out he saw the officer chasing the woman around a pickup truck on the onramp.
The truck pulled away and Diaz started recording. Eventually another man runs over to assist the officer. Diaz assumed it was an undercover officer.
The CHP wouldn’t talk with Eyewitness News on camera about this incident, but in a written statement, CHP said the officer ordered the woman to stop, but she ignored him. Fearing she would be hurt, the CHP says the officer tried placing her under arrest.
“A physical altercation ensued as the pedestrian continued to resist arrest, at which point a plain clothes, off duty officer assisted in applying the handcuffs,” the CHP said in the statement.
But Diaz says he’s still disturbed by the violent response of the officer… that the woman didn’t seem to be fighting back and could have been subdued in a much safer manner.
“There was no weapons, it’s obviously excess force at this point,” said Diaz. “He could have easily calmed her down. You can use strength without punching.”
The CHP said the woman refused to give her name. She was booked as “Jane Doe” and taken to a local hospital for mental and physical evaluation.
‘He just pounded her,’ he told CBSLA. ‘If you look at the video, there are 15 hits. To the head, and not just simple jabs. These are blows to the head. Blows. Really serious blows. And this is ridiculous to me.’
Regardless of what prompted the incident, this behavior from a law enforcement official is uncalled for.
Watch the clip below.
[via ABC 7]
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