Man carrying baby son tackled by LAPD officers during foot chase
Los Angeles police have released video of a man who was tackled by officers while carrying his infant son last month following a pursuit and foot chase. The baby suffered a skull fracture during the ordeal.
The LAPD released bodycam and dashcam video of the incident on Sunday.
The Feb. 11 incident began at around 11:20 p.m. when officers noticed a Jeep Wrangler driving erratically in the area of Long Beach Avenue and East 55th Street, police said.
When they attempted to pull the driver over, he accelerated and slammed into a flatbed truck, then sped off, prompting a pursuit.
The pursuit lasted about 11 minutes before the suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Josue Huerta, ditched the car and tried to run away, police said.
After a foot chase, an officer caught up to Huerta and took him to the ground. As Huerta is taken to the ground, bodycam video shows an infant in his arms. The infant can be heard crying.
"Unbeknownst to any officer, the officer was holding a 10-month-old infant," LAPD Capt. Stacy Spell said in the nearly nine-minute critical incident video released Sunday. "Officers were immediately able to pick up the infant and secure him."
The infant boy was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for a small skull fracture, Spell said. He also tested positive for cocaine and fentanyl. He was later released to the custody of his mother.
It's still unclear if the child was hurt in the collision or when Huerta was taken to the ground, Spell said.
Narcotics, three-unloaded gun magazines and cash were recovered from Huerta's vehicle.
He was later charged by the L.A. County District Attorney's Office with one count each of child abuse, evading and possession of narcotics for sale, all felonies. He was also charged with one misdemeanor count of hit-and-run.
A use-of-force investigation is underway. The LAPD Board of Police Commissioners will determine if any officers violated protocol.
