Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies are now under investigation for their use of force after cellphone footage captured the officers detaining a Black couple, then body-slamming and threatening to hit the woman.
The incident occurred on June 24 in the city of Lancaster. The deputies were responding to a report of a robbery at WinCo Foods grocery store and attempted to detain a couple who matched the description given by the grocery store security.
The video shows an older Black man and woman being detained in the parking lot of the grocery store. A bystander captured much of the encounter on a cellphone. Police also recently released some bodycam video of the arrest.
“I told them to call the police. … I waited for you,” the Black nan could be heard saying in the video as he is being handcuffed by the deputies.
He continued, “I don’t have nothing. … I’m not even being resistant.”
The bystander then panned to the woman as one deputy walks away from the now-handcuffed Black man to the woman as she was holding up her cellphone recording the protesting man’s detention. The woman screams “You can’t touch me!” As the deputy flings her to the ground.
A struggle between the deputy and woman ensues, with him yelling “Get down on the ground!” as she tries to rise.
