LASD releases bodycam footage of violent arrest where deputy punches woman holding baby
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna on Wednesday discussed a violent arrest that occurred in Palmdale last year, captured via the bodycams of deputies.
The footage comes from a July 14, 2022 traffic stop, initiated by deputies who allege the car did not have any headlights on while driving in the area. They claim that the driver smelled of alcohol and that four other passengers of the vehicle, all women, were holding infants. There were no car seats for the babies in the vehicle.
According to LASD, they decided to arrest everyone in the vehicle for child endangerment, as well as the driver for driving under the influence and with suspended license, prompting the wild series of events that followed.
"During the arrests of the females a use of force occurred on two of the women to affect the arrest and gain control of the infants. One of these uses of force involved a mother and her three-week-old infant, who was refusing to let go of her child," said a statement from LASD. "During the encounter a deputy punched the female twice in the face."
Though the incident occurred during the tenure of former Sheriff Alex Villanueva, Luna wanted to address the incident in light of another violent arrest that gained national attention in Lancaster last week.
Related: 'It's disturbing': Sheriff Luna promises thorough investigation into Lancaster use of force incident
Luna noted that the use of force was assigned to the department's Internal Affairs Bureau for investigation shortly after occurring in 2022.
"As your Sheriff, I want to speak clearly and directly to our community about this incident. I found the punching of the woman in these circumstances completely unacceptable. While this incident occurred one year ago, before my term as Sheriff began, I took swift action upon learning of this incident several days ago. I must note that state law precludes me from disclosing disciplinary actions taken in this matter," Luna said.
He said that while he cannot name the deputy, he has since been removed from the field of duty.
Both the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office and the FBI's Los Angeles office will also investigate the incident.
Many are calling for the deputy to be fired, including several city leaders including Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger.
"This violence in this video is appalling and there is no justification. This deputy does not belong in our Sheriff's Department. I trust that the Sheriff will act quickly to discharge him and I agree with his decision to refer this case to the District Attorney for criminal prosecution," a statement from Supervisor Hahn's office said. "I appreciate Sheriff Luna for being transparent with the public and bringing this footage forward, but this video is nearly a year old and should have been released immediately by the prior Sheriff. I championed our body worn camera program but it only works if footage of incidents like this are brought to light."
"The video footage is gut wrenching. My heart aches for the children we see in this video, and for their mothers. In the Antelope Valley, there's been calls for more accountability and transparency. We're seeing some of those calls being addressed today," Supervisor Barger's statement said. "Transparency and accountability starts at the top. I want to commend Sheriff Luna for bringing this incident to light. Although this incident is over a year old, Sheriff Luna moved forward to share the video footage with the community as soon as he learned about it."
Video of the incident, as well as Wednesday's press conference can be viewed on LASD's website.
