Cellphone video caught the moment a Los Angeles sheriff's deputy slams a Black woman on the ground outside a grocery store weeks ago. According to ABC7, authorities were responding to reports of an "in-progress" robbery at a WinCo grocery store in Lancaster on June 24.
Footage shows two deputies handcuffing a man before approaching a woman who was recording the incident. One of the deputies then approaches the woman, who reportedly told him not to touch her. That's when the deputy grabs her by her shirt and neck and throws her on the ground.
The sheriff's department later released body camera footage of the violent encounter. Video from the deputy arresting the woman shows her screaming after she hit the ground. The woman even threatened to sue him if she is assaulted again.
Another part of the footage shows him pinning his knee on her neck, and she yells "I can't breathe!" He's later seen pepper spraying her head and face, as well.
LASD claims the duo were accused of shoplifting. WinCo security escorted them outside of the store, which is when deputies took over. Lisa Michelle Garrett, who recorded the incident, tells a different story.
Garrett wrote in a Facebook post that the man and the woman, whom she identified as a married couple, were upset because they were accused of stealing a cake by employees. After they were escorted out of the store by seven loss prevention officers, that's when deputies took over.
"One police officer walked up to the man and handcuffed him! His wife was taking a video of the incident and one tall officer got really angry and walked up on the woman and slammed her down on the ground!!" she wrote. "The husband said, 'Don't slam her down like that she has cancer!!'"
Garrett said the officer handcuffed the woman and "threw her in the police car" after the rough arrest. She noted that they didn't even have anything in their hands after they left the store.
"I was moved to tears," she concluded her post. "This was real life, not Law & Order."
Several community activists have called for the deputies involved to get fired. Following the backlash, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department issued a statement before releasing the body camera footage:
"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has opened an investigation into this incident. While the Department does not make statements related to ongoing investigations, Sheriff Luna has made it clear that he expects Department personnel to treat all members of the public with dignity and respect, and that personnel who do not uphold our training standards will be held accountable. In the interest of transparency with our community, the Sheriff's Department is releasing body-worn camera video from the incident."
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