Compton mayor, LA County sheriff respond after video emerges of incident involving alleged excessive force by deputies
"The kicking and the hitting was extra," said a bystander who recorded the arrest. "That wasn't called for."
COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- Disturbing video that partially shows a violent arrest in Compton by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies has prompted allegations of excessive force.
In the footage, recorded by a bystander on May 31, deputies are seen using their fists and knees to repeatedly strike a 24-year-old suspect who is on the ground.
The woman who videotaped the incident is heard saying, "Why are y'all beating him?"
Dalvin Price, the man involved in the encounter, said he suffered fractured ribs at the hands of the deputies.
"I keep getting headaches ever since the event happened," Price told ABC7 on Wednesday. "It's very hard for me to sleep, so I'm just trying to do my best to make it out of this."
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Price said he tried to comply with the deputies' orders. The woman who recorded the footage said she only saw the part of the arrest that was captured on video.
"Even with him laying down and doing that, the kicking and the hitting was extra," she said. "That wasn't called for."
City leaders demanded that county officials hold the deputies accountable.
"On behalf of the great and resilient residents of Compton, black and brown human beings, we challenge the Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Villanueva, to seize the opportunity to evolved with society and eradicate the systemic racism and the paramilitary tactics deployed by the Sheriff's Department, rooted in the tradition of white supremacy," Mayor Aja Brown said at a news conference.
In an interview with ABC7, Sheriff Alex Villanueva did not specifically address the matter. Instead, he said it was one of two videotaped incidents that involve deputies and are under investigation.
"So now we're going through the process of seeing what happened, to see if the force was in-policy and it was lawful," the sheriff said. "If it exceeds the boundaries of either policy or lawfulness, well then, there will be repercussions - we'll hold them accountable for that."
