Officials in Lancaster, California, are investigating a Los Angeles County deputy that was caught on camera violently throwing a Black woman to the ground during an arrest. According to ABC 7, on June 24, officials were called to the WinCo grocery store in Lancaster to apprehend a man and a woman accused of stealing from the store.
The shocking arrest occurred in the parking lot of the Lancaster WinCo store.
In the shocking cell phone video, the deputy places handcuffs on the man first as the woman records the arrest. Then, the deputy forcibly apprehends the woman, who can be heard shouting, “Don’t touch me,” just before he slams her to the ground.
“Stop manhandling me. I didn’t do nothing. You can’t touch me!” the woman shouts as she lies face down on the ground, handcuffed. At one point during the violent arrest, the Los Angeles deputy drives his knee close to the woman’s neck, prompting her to shout out, “I can’t breathe!”
The man, who authorities believe is the woman’s husband, pleaded with the officer to ease up on his restraint due to the woman’s cancer. The couple’s identity has not been revealed.
Cancel the Contract, an activist group lobbying to end law enforcement violence, will be holding a rally outside of the WinCo grocery store to protest against the deputy’s senseless use of force.
Raquel Derfler, a representative from the group, claimed that the alleged couple was arrested for stealing a cake from the store.
“That was the allegation – that they had shoplifted a cake. So let me be clear, nothing has been proven, but it was alleged… 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.”
Officials have not released the identity of the deputy caught manhandling the woman in the video, but authorities say that the officer has been temporarily “reassigned” from the field as they continue to investigate the incident, according to Fox 11.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s has also released a statement about the stealing allegations and the subsequent arrest.
“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,” officials said. “In the interest of transparency with our community, the Sheriff’s Department is releasing body-worn camera video from the incident.”
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