A video posted on social media appears to show
several Los Angeles police officers beating up a Hispanic driver
who had been stopped in a car for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Samuel Chávez Reyes, 35, was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors for resisting an officer's arrest, Los Angeles County District Attorney spokesman Ricardo Santiago told the Los Angeles Times.
Among those who can be seen punching him hard and repeatedly is
at least one Los Angeles County deputy sheriff in Palmdale.
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Richard Maguire, a 26-year-old Palmdale resident who filmed the scene and posted it on his social media, told the newspaper that
he saw nothing to explain why Chávez was beaten.
"That officer had just arrived," he said, "stop, he runs out of the car, [...] and starts hitting the man right there."
Maguire said he also saw Chávez receive an electric shock from a stun gun (
taser)
inside and outside the car.
The incident occurred around 5:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon, West Coast local time, in the parking lot of a liquor store.
In the video you can see how two agents appear first to arrest Chávez, who is in the front seat of a parked car.
Screenshot of video of the arrest of Samuel Chávez Reyes, 35, in Palmdale Courtesy Richard Maguire
About 45 seconds later, another officer comes running and, with half his torso inside the vehicle, begins to punch Chavez, who remains seated in the driver's seat.
Another agent also runs to the car and watches the incident.
Then, in the video, Chávez is seen lying on the ground next to the car,
surrounded by six officers.
Several crowd on top of him, and at least one sitting on top of Chávez hits him several times.
A woman can also be seen in the passenger seat filming the desperate scene, screaming, and three more people against a wall watching from afar.
After a few seconds, an officer removes the woman from the car with her arms behind her back.
Three officers then take away Chávez
handcuffed, with his feet tied, his shirt ripped, and his pants down.
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Bradley Gage, a lawyer representing Chávez, told the newspaper that
"whoever sees the video can see that the force used was not objectively reasonable."
It is not the first time that such an attack has occurred by the police in the Antelope Valley region.
In addition, it has been criticized for delaying in enforcing a 2015 agreement to improve its performances.
The sheriff's department has not explained why force was used.
In a statement they said they would investigate the incident: "Due to an active investigation, we cannot offer further comment at this time."