Warning: The video above contains offensive language and violence.
The Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday released footage from body-worn cameras of an officer beating a suspect in Boyle Heights who was trespassing. The incident has prompted calls for criminal charges against the officer.
Earlier, bystander video of the April 27 incident prompted Chief Michel Moore and District Attorney Jackie Lacey to describe the officer’s actions as “disturbing.”
The new body cam video captures the officer and his partner rousting the man from a vacant lot after the owner had called to complain of a couple living there. In the video, the man repeatedly taunts the officer with expletives as he leaves the lot and walks down a sidewalk.
The officer eventually stops him and tries to detain him, but the man pushes the officer away. The officer then starts punching the man as he stands with his hands behind his back. As the pummeling continues, a woman in a nearby house is heard on the tape telling the officer’s partner, a woman, that she needs to calm him down. “I know,” the woman officer, who has not been identified, says.
As backup arrives, the officer, who has also not been identified by the department, claims the suspect attacked him.
Moore, who introduces the body cam videos on camera, said he released the videos in the interest of transparency. It’s likely he was also trying to diffuse anger over the incident, said Cal State Fullerton Professor Phillip Kopp. “They’re trying to provide context to the situation by saying ‘hey here’s what happened from start to finish,'” Kopp said.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave.
Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.
