Cousins! An official investigation is underway after a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy was captured on cell phone footage throwing a woman down to the ground!
According to ABC 7 LA, the incident took place June 24th outside of a WinCo grocery store in Lancaster. The department states that a man and woman were being apprehended upon allegations of shoplifting a cake.
Within the cellphone captured video the deputy can be seen placing handcuffs on a man as his wife recorded the incident. He then approached the woman and violently tossed the woman down to the ground as he attempts to handcuff her. The man being arrested can be heard shouting, “Don’t slam her down like that’ and saying that the woman has cancer.”
Within the video, witnesses can be heard yelling for the deputy to stop as the woman screamed in pain.
“I was disheartened. That could’ve been my grandmother, my aunt, my sister. As you see, the lady in the video was just simply recording her husband’s interaction with the deputies and they came over and attacked her. I would say attack – he grabbed her by her neck and slung her down,” said Raycine Ector.
A local activist group identified as Cancel the Contract has also spoken out following the tragic incident as they call for the deputies seen within the video to be terminated.
“That was the allegation – that they had shoplifted a cake. So let me be clear, nothing has been proven, but it was alleged…” says member and that’s how they came in hot like that, as though they were brandishing firearms or attacking or assaulting members of the community when it was simply a cake.”
The department issued a statement following the incident: “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has opened an investigation into this incident.”
“While the Department does not make statements related to ongoing investigations, Sheriff Luna has made it clear that he expects Department personnel to treat all members of the public with dignity and respect, and that personnel who do not uphold our training standards will be held accountable. In the interest of transparency with our community, the Sheriff’s Department is releasing body-worn camera video from the incident.”