LA County deputy slams woman to ground outside Lancaster grocery store in cell phone video
The LASD is investigating a shocking video that is raising concerns that shows the takedown of a woman outside a Lancaster grocery store.
The woman who took the video, Lisa Michelle Garrett, says she used to work in security. So when she saw several loss-prevention officers escorting the couple out of the grocery store, she started recording. The video shows the man was handcuffed, however, the incident took a different turn when it was time to handcuff the woman.
In the video that shows the confrontation between the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies and the couple, the woman is heard screaming about rights when the LASD deputy approached her.
The deputy then threw her to the ground and pepper-sprayed her face.
Garrett, who recorded the incident, said the woman in the video was saying "I can't breathe."
It's not clear from the cell phone video if the deputy's knee was on her neck or back.
The LASD released the following statement:
"While the Department does not make statements related to ongoing investigations, Sheriff Luna has made it clear 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."
Karen Laser, a user-of-force expert, said the video doesn't show what happened before or what deputies were told about the couple. She also said it's tough to jump to conclusions just off the one viral video.
"There's always two sides of the story and sometimes three and four," Laser said.
Officials have not released the identities of the deputy who threw the woman down as well as the couple seen in the video.
"I'd like some justice for that couple," Garrett said. "I don't know who they are."