Santa Ana police have launched an internal probe to determine if the arrest of a pursuit suspect involved excessive force, a department spokesman confirmed Monday.
The pursuit started about 7:20 p.m. when police noticed that a car had no license plate and the two men inside were not wearing seat belts, Bertagna said. The driver refused to pull over and led officers on a pursuit that reached speeds up to 85 to 90 mph, sometimes on the wrong side of the road, Bertagna said.
The pursuit ended in the 2000 block of Kilson Street when the driver got into a collision and bailed out of the vehicle, Bertagna said. A passenger jumped out and tried to take the wheel but was quickly arrested, Bertagna said.
The driver — later identified as Jesus Arturo Martinez — tried to run away but was taken down and was on the ground being restrained when a few other officers joined in a struggle to restrain him, the video shows. One officer appeared to land a punch to the suspect’s face and others appeared to be trying to kick him.
Acting Police Chief David Valentin reviewed the video and assigned it to the internal affairs division “to take a look at the totality of the incident up to and including the use of force by officers,” Bertagna said.
Martinez, 22, and Gabriel Becerra Mendoza, 26, both documented gang members from Santa Ana, were arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto, possession of stolen property, felony evading police, controlled substance possession and replica hand gun possession, Bertagna said.
[symple_googlemap title=”Santa Ana stop” location=”2000 Kilson Street, Santa Ana, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”15″]
— City News Service