In Lancaster, two officers from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department have been assigned to administrative duties after the forcible arrest of a couple suspected of committing a robbery at a supermarket.
The investigation, which is just beginning, will include reviewing video from the store’s security cameras, cell phone video provided by a community member and images captured by officers’ body cameras.
The video, which the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said was released for transparency, was captured on June 24 on body cameras worn by officers who responded to an emergency call for a robbery allegedly committed at the Winco supermarket in Los Angeles. 700 block of West Avenue K-4 in Lancaster.
And the incident escalated with a couple, whose appearance matched the description of the suspects.
When stopping the man, one of the officers says “we are going to search you”, and he responds “I have nothing”, and before being handcuffed, he said “I am not resisting”.
And then they go to a woman who was filming the incident and who during a struggle ends up on the pavement and shouts “I can’t breathe, stop mistreating me”, and an officer seems to spray her with pepper spray, while shouting “I want the commander, stop twist my arm.”
Lisa Michelle Garrett witnessed and recorded her own video from the passenger seat of her car, and her reaction is heard on the video as the woman is thrown to the ground. When our partner from our sister station NBC4 showed her the video from the officers’ cameras, and she started crying and said:
“I was crying because it was very emotional, it was real life, it wasn’t on TV or some police show, it was right there in my face. I’ve seen things in my life, but I’ve never seen anything like this so profound,” said witness Lisa Michelle Garett.
The sheriff’s department said it has launched an investigation, and in a statement on the use of force, it said.
“While the department does not comment on statements related to active investigations, Sheriff Robert Luna said his department will treat the public with dignity and respect, and that officers who fail to uphold training standards will be held accountable.
In addition to the video in a statement, the Sheriff’s Department said a factual review will be conducted to determine if the use of force was reasonable, necessary, appropriate, and proportionate to the level of the actions described.
“I don’t think I’m going to see it again, because once you’ve seen it it’s hard to forget and it’s one of the worst things. We see officers on the streets all the time, and if I want to say not all sheriffs, well like all people, we’re not all the same,” said witness Emile Obasi.
Both officers involved have been assigned to administrative duties pending completion of the investigation. So far, the sheriff’s department has not reported if the couple was arrested or if some type of crime was committed.
Telemundo 52 emphasizes that although it has these videos, it is still not clear if there was any previous action that would have resulted in the forcible arrest of the couple, and several community organizations have announced that on July 5 at 5 pm it will take place. a protest in the parking lot, where the incident allegedly occurred.
