Only On 2: Video Shows Deputies Taking Aggressive Action Against Inmate at Los Angeles County Jail
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Disturbing video out of a Los Angeles County jail appears to show deputies taking aggressive action against an inmate.
In video from the February incident, three deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department can be seen walking with an inmate down a hallway before throwing the man to the wall and eventually taking him down to the ground.
The man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the attack was unprovoked.
"He kept tensing up his grip on my arm, and I asked him, 'Can you let go of my arm,'" the man said. "And that's when, a few seconds later on during the video, you'll see him throw me to the wall."
The man said he was in custody for allegedly receiving stolen property. His case was ultimately dismissed, but during his time in jail he said he was attacked by three other inmates — an attack that he said was witnessed by an LASD sergeant.
He then filed a complaint against the sergeant and said he believes that was why he was attacked.
"Apparently he was giving me problems because they heard about the complaint I made against one of the sergeants," he said.
The man was charged with resisting arrest, though those charges were later dropped.
"The investigation has been completed," Brendan Corbett, LASD division chief, said. "It was fully justified, and I think the part that he's showing is out of context."
Corbett, who is tasked with running jail operations, said the man pulled his right arm out of the deputy's grip and "then immediately starts to go back with it," a motion Corbett said the deputy perceived as a striking motion.
As a result of the takedown, Corbett said one of the deputies suffered an injury to his head.
"When the inmate pulled him to the ground with him, and the deputy struck his head, he did receive a pretty good injury to his forehead," Corbett said.
According to Corbett, the charges against the man for allegedly resisting arrest were dropped because the deputy involved did not appear in court.
The man in the video said he was currently looking for an attorney and was considering pursuing legal action.