A video of two Santa Ana police officers throwing a man to the street and punching him repeatedly during an arrest outside his family’s home has gone viral, and the department has opened a use-of-force investigation. The man, 28-year-old Florentino Junior Lopez, is the one facing charges.
His lawyer says the video “speaks for itself.” The police chief says he’s personally reviewed it and is waiting for the facts. Here’s what the video shows and what each side says.
What does the Santa Ana police video show?
The arrest happened around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, October 1, near Jackson and Fifth streets, outside the home Lopez shares with his parents and sister. His sister recorded it.
The video shows Lopez bent over the hood of a patrol car with his arms behind his back, exchanging words with an officer. Then the officer throws him to the street and punches him in the head repeatedly while a second officer holds his legs and also strikes him. A witness can be heard shouting, “Hey, hey, don’t be punching him! Everything is being recorded! Why are you still punching him?” It ends when two more officers arrive and Lopez is handcuffed, according to his attorney.
What do Lopez’s lawyer and the police say?
Attorney John Kremer says Lopez and his sister were smoking marijuana on their front lawn when officers who recognized him drove by and waved him into the street, and that he complied. “There was no physical violence or any kind of resisting,” Kremer said. “All of a sudden, without warning, the officer… grabbed my client by his shirt and threw him down, much like an MMA fighter would, and then proceeded to ground and pound him.”
Lopez is on felony probation, which allows police to search him. Kremer said Lopez served a 10-day sentence earlier this year for carrying a loaded gun, evading officers and a hit-and-run.
I have personally reviewed the video and want to assure our community that we take every use of force seriously. Our Department is conducting a thorough review of the incident, including body worn camera footage, reports, and the circumstances surrounding the arrest.
Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez
Rodriguez didn’t say whether the officers have been placed on leave. Mayor Valerie Amezcua said she supports “a thorough investigation” and added, “We cannot judge all officers by one’s actions.”
What is Lopez charged with?
On Monday, Lopez was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of resisting an officer, plus smoking marijuana near a school or daycare and being a pedestrian in the roadway. His bail was set at $20,000, and he’s due back in court October 13. Kremer wants the charges dropped. “To charge him with charges that didn’t even happen, it’s ridiculous,” he said.
The BeezLoop Take
Lopez’s record is real, and so is the fact that police can stop and search someone on felony probation. None of that is in dispute. It also isn’t the question.
The question is what happened after he was against the car with his hands behind his back. On the video, a man in that position is thrown to the pavement and hit in the head again and again while a bystander yells that everyone is recording. The department has body camera footage that shows the whole thing, including whatever was said beforehand. Santa Ana should release it.
Notice the order of events, too. The officers are under review. The man who was punched is the one already charged with resisting. The open question: will prosecutors look at the full footage before that case moves forward?
Related on BeezLoop: A Georgia sergeant said on his own bodycam that he punched and tased a man, and prosecutors say an off-duty sergeant punched a woman who was filming him.
Sources: Los Angeles Times via Yahoo · ABC7 via Yahoo · KTLA via Yahoo · Voice of OC · ABC7
