After more than ten minutes of leading police on a pursuit through city streets in Los Angeles this afternoon, a suspect jumped out of his car and started running through yards until he reached a dead end against a fenced wall.
The suspect then laid himself down on the ground with his arms spread to allow himself to be arrested. An El Monte police officer then ran up him and kicked him hard in the head, leaving the suspect motionless.
And another officer runs up and starts jabbing the suspect in the ribs with his nightstick.
The officers then high-five each other. It was all caught on a news video from a hovering helicopter.
Fast forward to 10:25 to see the action.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the suspect was a gang member who had just been released from prison. He was transported to a hospital.
Carlson identified the suspect as Richard Rodriguez, 23, of El Monte. He said Rodriguez is a member of the El Monte Flores street gang and had been released from state prison in January. He was wanted for a parole violation, but it’s unclear if that led to the chase.
City News Service of Los Angeles, which provides syndicated content to various news organizations around the country, did not mention the kick nor the jab to the ribs for whatever reason.
Richard Rodriguez is led away by cops after being kicked in the head. Photo by Raul Roa/San Gabriel Valley Tribune
While it appears that the suspect is no angel and most likely has a violent history and probably deserves to be thrown back in prison, the officer showed he is hardly any different than your typical gangbanger.
