FRESNO, Calif. -- Police are investigating the arrest of a homeless man after a video showed one officer striking the man as another officer restrained him.
The two officers have been put on desk duty. Police Chief Jerry Dyer said the officers' report said 52-year-old Glen Beaty was combative and intoxicated and he struck one officer in the arm.
The video made Monday by a bystander was shown on KSEE 24 in Fresno. It shows Beaty lying on his side on the ground being punched in the face at least five times.
Dyer says the recording is troubling but it's too early to determine whether the officers' actions were appropriate for the situation.
In another videotape case, a New York City police officer pleaded not guilty Wednesday to using excessive force on a man he was arresting last July.
The video obtained by his supervisors showed 43-year-old David London beating Army veteran Walter Harvin with a baton after he entered a city building without identification. The charge against Harvin was dropped.
