An LAPD officer has been placed on administrative leave after a video surfaced online showing him striking a suspect who was being loaded into an ambulance following a failed carjacking.
According to a report on KTTV-TV on Monday, the officer who was involved in the Saturday incident has been removed from his police powers.
The police report that the two suspects involved in a carjacking were apprehended when the chase ceased with a crash near San Fernando.
According to witnesses, the suspect spat on the officer prior to the assault, became “aggressive” toward first responders shortly after the crash, and then fled the scene.
The Daily Mail reports that after an emotional outburst, the suspect reportedly referred to a group of cops as “b*tch”
One witness made the statement to the station, “The guy [the suspect] was lying on a gurney and they were preparing to restrain him as he was shouting. He was demanding that the cop remove his badge, and then all of a sudden he spat on him. That’s when the police physically struck him.”
Being spit on is being physically assaulted and the criminal deserves more than a single punch to the face after endangering the lives of so many.
The Daily Mail further reported that an officer said, “Don’t do that s**t again to any officer.” to the suspect.
The LAPD revealed on Sunday that it was investigating the officer’s behavior and initiated an investigation into the matter.
The case is still under investigation.
The chief of the Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement following the video footage’s release, in which he said, “The images in the video are deeply disturbing and while we must wait for the investigation to be completed, the department will act swiftly in any instance of excessive or unnecessary force.”
