Recent videos of deadly police encounters with unarmed black men give credibility to what communities of color have complained about for years. The shocking reality on those videos is driving a nationwide movement.
So it’s no wonder that many are alarmed by this video that surfaced Sunday on YouTube. It appears to show a law-enforcement officer destroying the phone of a bystander recording a police encounter.
According to the Huffington Post, the U.S. Marshals Service has identified the officer in the video as one of its agents, and officials are now investigating the incident.
Someone recorded the encounter from across the street and uploaded it to YouTube Sunday. The bystander appears to be recording uniformed law-enforcement officials responding to a reported biker-gang meeting in South Gate, Calif. One of the agents, carrying a gun, appears to snatch the phone and slam it onto the sidewalk.
“The U.S. Marshals Service is aware of video footage of an incident that took place Sunday in Los Angeles County involving a deputy U.S. marshal,” a representative for the Marshals Central District of California told the Huffington Post. “The agency is currently reviewing the incident.”
The public has the right to record video and audio of police performing their duties, although not all law enforcement honors that right, according to the ACLU.
Read more at the Huffington Post.