Investigation launched after video shows LAPD officer punch handcuffed man in Watts

WATTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A video that shows a 28-year-old man being punched by a Los Angeles police officer during an arrest in Watts has sparked outrage and is now the center of an investigation.

The incident happened on Sunday around 5:20 p.m.

The video posted on social media shows two officers arresting Alexander Mitchell. Footage shows him handcuffed with his hands behind his back as he asks, "What did I do, though?"

An officer then throws a punch and hits Mitchell in the jaw.

According to police, officers were conducting a traffic stop on a vehicle that was double-parked - sitting against traffic - at the intersection of 113th Street and Graham Avenue.

Officers initially thought no one was in the car, saying the vehicle had "heavily tinted windows," but later learned Mitchell was inside. Police said officers ordered Mitchell to get out of the car and tried to place him in handcuffs.

"As a crowd began to gather around the scene, additional backup was requested," said LAPD in an update released on Tuesday. "During the handcuffing process, Mitchell resisted by refusing to place his hands behind his back and grasping his front waistband/pocket area with his right hand, preventing the officers from securing him. An officer then struck Mitchell on the right side of his face, enabling the officers to complete the handcuffing."

Police said Mitchell was sent to a nearby hospital for "medical clearance prior to booking." He was later arrested for obstructing and resisting arrest, police said.

Mitchell was released with a misdemeanor citation and is scheduled to appear in court.

In a post on X, LAPD said the officer involved, who has not been identified, has been removed from field duties.

Video sparks outrage

Mitchell's family and activists have since been calling on District Attorney George Gascón to file criminal charges against the officer.

"If the tables were turned, my son would've been in jail," said Mitchell's mother An'tneal Harris in a press conference Tuesday. "If he would've punched that officer the way he punched my son, it would've been a different story, so he needs to be held accountable."

Brad Gage, an attorney for Mitchell, said the 28-year-old was sitting in his car, waiting for his friend when officers made him get out.

"All I can tell you is he was handcuffed behind behind his back, and he was compliant and he did nothing wrong," said Gage. "He did not deserve to be treated this way."

He claims officers never told Mitchell why he was stopped. He also claims Mitchell was punched more than once, but that only one punch was caught on camera.

"There's only one thing that they charged him with, and that was after the fact, obstructing an investigation, so basically, what they say is when you're handcuffed and getting punched, if you're not talking to us, you're obstructing us," said Gage.

Meanwhile, a statement from the Los Angeles Police Protective League reads, "The recent social media post showing a portion of a police encounter where two LAPD officers are attempting to gain compliance from a large man to place him in handcuffs is misleading, lacks context, and is being exploited by some for political reasons."

The union cited an LAPD use of force training bulletin from March 2023 that states, in part, that "strikes and/or kicks can be used when such force is objectively reasonable to accomplish the following:

• Overcome active resistance to arrest

• Create distance from a suspect

• Protect self or others from injury

• Stop or stun a suspect

• Distract a suspect"

"This incident never happens if the individual is not double-parked facing traffic, thus creating a traffic hazard, and if the individual simply complies with simple requests from the responding officers instead of resisting, said Craig Lally, President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. "The officers followed their training and sometimes placing someone into handcuffs gets physical, it is the suspect's actions that most often times dictates the level of physicality."

Police said a Southeast Division supervisor responded to the scene to conduct a use of force investigation and initiated a personnel complaint.