Disturbing video of a Vallejo, Calif., police officer has surfaced, showing the cop repeatedly striking a suspect—first with his fist and then with a baton—as an outraged crowd looks on, yelling in the background.
According to KRON, the incident occurred Friday afternoon after police responded to a call about a man acting erratically at a local gas station.
The officer—who is white—is seen in the video straddling the suspect—who is black—and brutally punching him repeatedly across the head while twisting his arm backward, apparently in an attempt to cuff him. The suspect is seen struggling to evade the blows. The officer then pulls out his baton and continues to hit the man with the weapon across his back and shoulder area.
At one point as the crowd screams “No!” and other indistinguishable comments in outrage, the officer is seen putting his hand on his holster before removing it. Later in the video, the officer fully draws his gun, waving it at the crowd, before placing it back in the holster.
“I saw the video this morning and it was just uncalled for, you know,” witness Kareem Walton told the news station.”They could of took a whole different measure, they didn’t have to jump on him and beat on him.”
The news station reports that the unidentified suspect is facing charges of being under the influence and resisting arrest. The officer has been placed on leave pending an investigation of the incident.
The Vallejo Police Department said that it was looking into the video and “will take the appropriate action if any policy or law has been broken.”
“It’s important that no one make any assumptions without having all the available facts,” Police Lt. Jeff Bassett said in a statement. “Just like anyone else, officers are innocent until proven guilty.”
Read more at KRON.