District Attorney Steve, who is considering a run for Attorney General, last week announced that no charges will be filed against the El Monte police officer who kicked a car chase suspect in the head, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The incident happened back in May after a dangerous police pursuit. At one point, Richard Rodriguez fled the car and became trapped in a backyard. Before officers arrived, he laid down on the ground, face down, with his arms spread out. The first arriving officer, George Fierro, kicked Rodriguez in the head, making the TV helicopter footage an instant hit on the internet. more ›

On Wednesday as a car chase came to the end in a residential neighborhood, suspected driver and known gang member Richard Rodriguez gave up by laying down on the ground and fanning his arm away from his body. The first officer to arrive kicked Rodriguez in the head (watch the video here), prompting the latest hit in viral police violence videos. The police union representing the El Monte officer is calling it a distraction blow (remember the LAPD's distraction punch video?). The the union's attorney said this, via the LA Times: “Unfortunately these things never look good on video. Sometimes officers have to use force when dealing with bad guys. The officer initially came upon the suspect alone. The suspect hadn’t been searched and was a parolee and a gang member. The individual officer saw some movement. He feared the parolee might have a weapon or be about to get up. So the officer did what is known as a distraction blow. It wasn’t designed to hurt the man, just distract him." What do you think? Was that a legit distraction kick or not? more ›