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'Stop it or I'll punch you', videos capture how LA cop throws woman to ground and pepper sprays her for filming him
According to the department, deputies were, at the time, apprehending a man and a woman accused of shoplifting inside the store
A shocking body camera video released by theLos Angeles County Sheriff's Department has revealed the moment a woman was thrown to the ground by a deputy and pepper sprayed outside a store in Lancaster. The incident took place outside the WinCo grocery store on W Ave K 4 on June 24.
According to the department, deputies were, at the time, apprehending a man and a woman accused of shoplifting inside the store. "Why am I under arrest ... for what?" the man is heard saying in the bodycam footage. "You are not under arrest, you are being detained," responded the deputy.
"Detained for what?" the seemingly frustrated man asked. Another deputy said, "Calm down!"
The deputies placed the man in handcuffs and then walked toward the woman who was recording the incident. She pushed the deputies away when they tried to grab her arm. “No, you can't touch me!" she yelled. "Stop. Stop!" the deputy said, and the woman is heard screaming as she is thrown to the ground.
"Get down on the ground!" the deputy yelled, as the woman responded, “It's already on YouTube live!" As the struggle continued, the deputy said, “Stop it or I'll punch you in the face." "You punch me, you're going to get sued,” the woman replied.
The woman was eventually pepper sprayed, and alleged that the deputy put his knee on her neck. "I can't breathe," she is heard saying.
Another view of the video that has surfaced was shot by a witness. "Don't slam her down like that," the man being arrested is heard yelling in the video, and claiming she has cancer.
Tom Yu, an attorney for the deputies, said that they would not have used force if the woman had complied. "There's a narrative of saying, 'The deputies struck her down because she was recording,'' said Tom, according to ABC7. "She's not an innocent bystander. She's involved. She's detained in this robbery investigation."
Following the incident, the department issued a statement saying, "The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has opened an investigation into this incident. While the Department does not make statements related to ongoing investigations, Sheriff Luna has made it clear that he expects Department personnel to treat all members of the public with dignity and respect, and that personnel who do not uphold our training standards will be held accountable. In the interest of transparency with our community, the Sheriff's Department is releasing body-worn camera video from the incident."
The deputies involved in the incident have reportedly been reassigned from field duties pending further administrative review.
