In a piece of disturbing news, a video went viral on social media showing a police officer throwing a black woman on the ground and seemingly pepper-spraying her face as she and her husband were being detained outside a grocery store in Los Angeles, California. A probe has been initiated in this regard and the officers have been taken off field duty, as per the county sheriff's department.
A body camera footage shows a deputy officer arriving on the scene on June 24 in response to a robbery report and asking the man to put his hands on the police vehicle for reasons unknown. The man initially refused, the after finally complying, the deputies handcuffed him without him resisting arrest, CNN reported sharing extensive details.
When the man asked why he was being detained, the deputies did not answer. His arm was reportedly injured and he was shown being forced on the ground by the cops while pleading that his wife has cancer. The man's wife proceeded to film his arrest.
At this point, the deputy approached her and reached for her cell phone. During a struggle, the woman was seen thrown to the ground by the deputy. "Get down on the ground," said the cop multiple times and even threatened to punch her face, while the woman threatened to sue him.
When the woman said that she could not breathe and told the officer to stop 'manhandling' her, the police officer proceeded to spray her face with a substance that could be either mace or pepper spray. The deputy also put his knee on the woman's back to handcuff her and prevent her from resisting arrest.
The woman continuously screamed for a commander during her detainment. The footage showed her and her husband being placed in separate police vehicles. They were cited and released later, as per Deputy Miesha McClendon. The charges against them are unknown.
The two LA deputies have been taken off field duty as investigation into their conduct has been initiated, according to the county sheriff's department.
“As deputies attempted to detain the individuals described by store security personnel, the encounter escalated into a use of force incident that was captured by a community member with a cell phone camera,” the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
The department said that the video of the incident was disturbing and they "are determined to establish the facts of the incident."
The issue of racial discrimination has been a major problem in the United States, as African-Americans claim to continue facing the brunt of unlawful and aggressive action by law enforcement agencies. In 2020, George Floyd's murder by a police officer has sparked widespread protests across the world.
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