CHP officers take down driver fighting with woman in Burbank
BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- CHP officers engaged in a violent takedown of a man who was apparently fighting with a woman in a car as they drove in Burbank.
As officers spoke to the man on the sidewalk, footage from AIR7HD shows him appearing to argue with them and not complying with their instructions.
The two officers approach him and each one grabs an arm, but the man resists. The officers have a difficult time taking him down at first, but finally manage to wrestle him to the ground and after a few minutes place him in custody.
The confrontation happened outside the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank.
The incident began around 5:40 p.m. when CHP Sgt. Adam Smith was flagged down by another driver who said he witnessed a struggle between a man and a woman in a vehicle on Barham Boulevard.
Tony Poma told Eyewitness News what he saw before he flagged down the CHP:
"He grabbed her by the hair with both hands and was shaking her head and then pulled her face directly up to his face and was screaming at her," Poma said. "That's when I knew, OK, this has gone Richter."
Smith spotted the minivan and what appeared to be a male driver fighting with and possibly hitting a female passenger.
"I could see the male driver reaching over and physically grabbing the female passenger who was in the right front passenger seat," Smith told Eyewitness News. "His arms were flailing around as if he was punching, but it was hard to tell what was going on. It was very obvious there was some sort of fight going on in the vehicle."
He said at one point it appeared the woman was trying to exit the car even as it was still moving.
Officers briefly chased the suspect and then took him into custody after the confrontation on the sidewalk. LAPD officers also arrived and assisted.
"He was very strong and he did put up a good fight," Smith said.
During the struggle, officers said the suspect told them he was just trying to get to the airport.
Afterward, it appeared the suspect's face had been bloodied.
The CHP says the suspect is being investigated for suspicion of domestic violence and they are looking into whether he was driving under the influence.
Watching the arrest unfold and later being interviewed by investigators about what he saw, Poma had a joking request for the officers.
"I said can I walk by and kick him in the head? They just laughed and said no, then we'd have to take you in," Poma said.
"It's like dude you don't hit a girl. Come on you just don't do that."
