Federal officials said Tuesday they are investigating the actions of a U.S. Marshals Service employee who was caught on video grabbing a woman’s cell phone in South Gate, smashing it to the ground and kicking it away.
The video, which was filmed by another woman across the street from the police activity, was posted on YouTube. It shows a woman using her cell phone to record a law enforcement operation, and a Marshals Service employee approaches her, grabs the phone and slams it on the ground.
“On (Sunday), a YouTube video entitled ‘South Gate Police Attack Cop Watcher: Destroys Cellphone’ surfaced online that appears to show a law enforcement officer removing an object from a woman’s hand,” South Gate police Capt. Darren Arakawa said.
“The South Gate Police Department confirmed none of the individuals shown in the video involve South Gate police personnel,” Arakawa said. “The caption on the video suggesting that the officer is a member of the South Gate Police Department is erroneous.
“South Gate police determined that the officer involved is employed by the United States Marshals (Service), and their staff is aware of the incident,” Arakawa said.
The woman, identified as Beatriz Paez, told the Los Angeles Times she was out for walk when she came upon what appeared to be a massive federal operation in her neighborhood involving local bikers.
U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement officers had blocked off a stretch of San Juan Avenue and had eight to 10 people lying on their stomachs with their hands on their heads, when Paez took out her cell phone and began recording, she told The Times.
What happened next — and captured on a 53-second video by a neighbor — is now being investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the agency told The Times.
In the video, Paez is shown standing on the sidewalk aiming a cell phone at two men standing nearby in black shirts with tactical vests with “Police” written on their backs.
Paez said the men saw her recording, and began to back up toward her to block her view. That’s when another man grabbed the phone and threw it to the ground, Paez said.
The phone’s screen was shattered and the phone doesn’t work, Paez’s attorney Colleen Flynn told The Times. They plan on trying to recover the video Paez was recording from the phone’s chip, Flynn said.
— City News Service