ANIMALISTIC COP?

A cellphone video shows a CHP officer repeatedly punching a downed woman in the face on the shoulder of the 10 Freeway in L.A.

Cellphone videos posted on You Tube depicting cops as crude and brutal stormtroopers are going viral all over the internet. The latest sensational video was filmed Tuesday evening in Los Angeles on the 10 Freeway near La Brea Avenue.

David Diaz, a music producer, and some friends were driving on the 10 Freeway Tuesday evening when they observed a white CHP officer chasing a black woman on the freeway. Diaz whipped out his cellphone and filmed the cop tackling the woman on the freeway shoulder. The video shows the cop climbing on top of her and repeatedly punching the woman in her face until a man in civilian clothes came over and assisted the officer in handcuffing her. Naturally, Diaz wasted no time in posting the video on You Tube where it immediately went viral.

Diaz told ABC7:

The most animalistic, most brutal way to subdue someone is to pound someone's head into the concrete with really big blows to the head. There was no weapons, it's obviously excess force at this point. He could have easily calmed her down. You can use strength without punching. He starts really letting loose... He starts pounding down on her face really hard. He doesn't try to grab her hands first.

Diaz also told CBS LA:

He just pounded her. If you look at the video, there are 15 hits. To the head, and not just simple jabs. These are blows to the head. Blows. Really serious blows. And this is ridiculous to me. I find it hard to believe there [was] no other remedy in this situation.

In a written statement to ABC7, the CHP said the officer ordered the woman to stop, but she ignored him, and fearing she would be hurt, the the officer tried placing her under arrest. “A physical altercation ensued as the pedestrian continued to resist arrest, at which point a plain clothes, off duty officer assisted in applying the handcuffs.”

The woman refused to identify herself. She was booked as ‘Jane Doe’ and taken to a hospital for a mental and physical evaluation.

On Thursday, the CHP released a statement to the media:

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is aware of the video and we are looking into the incident. As a matter of policy, every time there is a use of force by our officers, there is a review conducted to determine whether the use of force was appropriate. That will be done in this case, however, since there is an ongoing investigation, it would be premature to comment on this specific video segment without reviewing the entire incident.

In the eye of the beholder, the video really looks bad. It appeared as though the woman was not resisting the officer, only using her arms to shield herself from at least 11 punches being thrown at her. Even if it turns out there was some justification for the officer’s actions, the CHP is going to throw him under the bus in order to reverse its tarnished image.

I believe that all those cellphone cameras out there can endanger officers in the performance of their duties. Knowing that every Tom, Dick, Harry and Mary is going to film their every move, some cops might hesitate to act forcefully when called for, and that could cause an officer to lose his life.