An officer from the Los Angeles Police Department is under the investigation after a video shows the policeman brutally beating an unarmed man in Boyle Heights.
According to NBC 4, two Hollenbeck Division police officers responded to a call regarding a man trespassing on the 2400 block of Houston Street, near Soto Street, on April 27. When they arrived, they found the suspect and told him to leave, according to a statement issued late Monday by the LAPD.
The incident escalated when one of the officers hit the suspect and began beating him. Just before the first punch, you can hear the suspect say, “I’m not fighting, bro.” In the video, which was recorded from a witness’ cellphone, you can see the officer seemingly holding the suspect down as he continuously beats him over the head while his partner watches. During the brawl, the second cop eventually calls for a supervisor. The officer who fought the man suffered a minor hand injury, and the suspect, now victim, sustained cuts to his head and face. The man did not go to the hospital for his wounds, the outlet reports.
“Upon review of the content of the cellphone video and the involved officer’s body-worn video, the supervisor notified his commanding officer and investigators of the Internal Affairs Group responded to conduct a personnel complaint investigation,” police said after obtaining a copy of the video footage.
The man who was beaten has since been released from custody, and there is pending investigation over the incident. The officer was sent home on home duty while the probe runs its course. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the police department’s Office of the Inspector General are overseeing the case.
