Smh! An investigation is now underway after footage shows a LA county deputy slamming a woman to the ground after she tried to record the arrest of a man outside a grocery store in Lancaster.
According to ABC7 LA, the incident took place on June 24th. The outlet reported, that the man and woman was allegedly shoplifting inside the grocery store. While the woman was filming the mans arrest she yelled at officers telling them not to touch her and then she was suddenly slammed on the ground. The man who was being arrested then yelled ‘Don’t slam her down like that’ and said that the woman has cancer.
After the woman was slammed another person yelled out trying to get the officer to stop. “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.
An activist group called Cancel the Contract, which calls for resources to be diverted from law enforcement and into communities of color, told the public that a rally will be happening on Wednesday to demand that the deputies be fired for the incident.
Raquel Derfler who is apart of the group says she doesn’t believe they were shoplifting attempting to steal some cake.
“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.”
Other activist also spoke with the news outlet saying the deputies seen in the video are out of control.
“The point is you see two senior citizens and you are acting like you are in fear of your life. You see their whole person, you see their whole body. You see her hands up video-taping – she is of no threat, but he walks over, grabs her by the neck, slams her to the ground, puts his knee there and this ground is hot,” said Waunette Callors.
The department has responded to the viral incident with a statement saying: “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.”