TikTok video of San Bernardino arrest shows punches, knees to the face; cop under investigation
A TikTok video showing an arrest by San Bernardino police in which a man is pinned to the ground and pummeled with fists and a knee to the face has led to an internal investigation.
Cellphone video from a witness captured the incident, and an officer involved has been placed on modified assignment while the investigation is underway.
The video shows two officers arresting a man. One officer is seen pinning him while another punches and knees the man in the head multiple times. The officers appear to instruct the man to put his hands behind his back and stop resisting. The man seems to cry out in pain. A third officer arrives on the scene as the man is being arrested.
Edward Obayashi is a lawyer and former Plumas County sheriff’s deputy who advises departments throughout California about use-of-force incidents.
Although he described the incident as “ugly,” he told The Times there was nothing in the footage that led him “to believe that this force was unreasonable.”
The woman charged with fatally shooting Michael Latt in his home had previously been accused of stalking and threatening a Hollywood film director, court documents reviewed by The Times show.
“There’s no such thing as a pretty use-of-force video,” he said. “It just doesn’t exist. When you see it, it’s graphic, it’s ugly. He was able to get up on his feet and they handcuffed him without incident.”
Obayashi cautioned that it was best to wait for the conclusion of an investigation before making a judgment about the arrest.
The San Bernardino Police Department is not new to allegations of officers using excessive force. The department is facing a $100-million lawsuit, filed last year, in the fatal shooting of Rob Adams, a 23-year-old Black man. An independent autopsy from 2022 suggested Adams, who police say was armed, was shot multiple times from behind.
The incident recorded in the TikTok video occurred Monday after the high-speed police chase of a suspected stolen vehicle in a residential neighborhood near West 50th Street and Electric Avenue North in San Bernardino. During the chase, the suspect lost control of the car and crashed into a telephone pole.
San Bernardino Police Lt. Jennifer Kohrell declined to identify the officers involved in the chase and arrest.
Police Chief Darren Goodman issued a statement saying, “We will take the necessary steps to correct any officer’s actions that are inconsistent with protecting our community, providing quality service, and fostering trust.”
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
