Community leaders in Palmdale are speaking out after the Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department released body camera footage of a deputy punching a mother holding a baby in connection with an investigation into excessive use of force. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News on July 13, 2023.
An 8-minute long disturbing footage of a sheriff’s body worn camera from July 2022 was released Wednesday by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.
The video shows a Palmdale sheriff’s deputy swinging twice, and according to sheriff Robert Luna, those two punches landed on the face of a woman who was holding her 3-week-old baby.
“We are outraged, but beyond that, we just saw the video, and those of us who are mothers especially are hurt. We feel trauma and pain for those mothers”, said Melina Abdulla, from Black Lives Matter.
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During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Sheriff Robert Luna said the encounter started as a traffic stop in Palmdale just before midnight. The driver of the vehicle was intoxicated.
“There were also four females and three females in the vehicle. The infants were being held in the arms of the mothers without the use of a car seat”, said sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles County Sheriff Department.
Deputies were attempting to arrest the mothers for felony child endangerment, the mothers did not want to give up their children and that’s when one of the deputies punched the woman.
“While this incident occurred one year ago before my term as sheriff began, I took swift action after learning about it several days ago”, said Luna.
The sheriff made it very clear that he found the deputy’s actions to be unacceptable. He did confirm the deputy was removed from field duty.
“I expect or ask our community to support good policing, but then it’s incumbent on us to call out bad policing when we see it”, he said.
Sheriff Luna says he released the video in the name of transparency.
“We must continue to work together as a community to build bridges, even if we have to go through some painful conversations”, said Luna.
Community activist Najee Ali said he is grateful for Sheriff Luna’s leadership and hopes the mothers involved get justice.
“Charges against the deputy. Certainly, there is no reason for him to punch a woman with a baby in her hands”, said Ali.
Sheriff Robert Luna has referred the incident to the district attorney’s office for criminal consideration, and the LA FBI office is also looking into the incident.
