This weekend, video emerged of a shocking incident that occurred on Tuesday involving a California Highway Patrol officer taking an unarmed woman down and savagely punching her in the face on the side of the high way. According to the officer, the woman was walking along the freeway and did not stop when he asked her to. The police report claims that she resisted arrest and became combative, also saying, “A physical altercation ensues as the pedestrian continued to resist arrest.”
David Diaz, who filmed the scenario on his cell phone, said the cop followed the woman who appeared to be intoxicated around a truck that was stopped on a freeway entrance—Diaz started to film it right when the officer took her down. He told CBS Los Angeles:
“He just pounded her…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.
He added, “I find it hard to believe there [was] no other remedy in this situation.”
While the woman, who had no ID and refused to give her name, is undergoing a physical and mental evaluation, could have been in danger or endangered others by crossing the freeway, the video evidence clearly shows a brutal use of force.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the situation, stating:
“The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is aware of the video and we are looking into the incident. As a matter of policy, every time there is a use of force by our officers, there is a review conducted to determine whether the use of force was appropriate. That will be done in this case, however, since there is an ongoing investigation, it would be premature to comment on this specific video segment without reviewing the entire incident.”
Warning: graphic violence.
Once again, it is disheartening and angering to see force used in a situation that could have been dealt with very differently diffused. But it certainly continues to give more value and power to eyewitness cell phone videos in identifying and reporting police brutality.
Image via CBS News.