Aug. 29--Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said he has "serious concerns" about an incident in which officers took a woman to the ground twice after a traffic stop.
LAPD spokeswoman Officer Karen Rayner told the Daily News the department released a statement Tuesday evening only after learning that NBC Los Angeles had obtained a videotape of the Aug. 21 encounter that was taken from a Del Taco restaurant.
The video, parts of which the station posted on its website, shows officers taking 34-year-old Michelle Jordan to the ground after she was pulled over for talking on a handheld cell phone.
The incident happened about 11:15 a.m. near Foothill Boulevard and Saluda Street.
The NBC report said she argued and cursed at officers.
It was unclear why she got out of the car in the first place; such a traffic violation would normally result in a simple ticket, not an arrest.
After police took Jordan the ground, handcuffed her and walked her over to the side of their patrol car, one officer tackled her to the ground again.
The video has no audio.
After the officers reported the use of force, a supervisor canvassed the area and found the Del Taco surveillance video, which led to an Internal Affairs review. The two officers, whom LAPD would not identify, have been placed on desk duty while their actions are investigated.
"My initial review of the officers' statements and the recorded video cause me to have serious concerns about
this use of force," Beck said in a prepared statement. "We will investigate this thoroughly and hold our officers accountable for their actions."
One officer is a 22-year veteran, and the other is a probationary officer with 10 months on the force. It was unclear which one tackled Jordan the second time.
Police asked anyone with information on the case to call the Foothill Division watch commander at 818-756-8861 or Internal Affairs investigators at 213-485-1486.
This case is the third high-profile allegation in recent weeks that LAPD officers have used excessive force.
A 20-year-old skateboarder who lives in Venice said officers tackled and pinned him down after trying to stop him for allegedly riding his skateboard on the wrong side of the road. A bystander videotaped the Aug. 18 incident with a cell phone, and there were protests in Venice denoucing what demonstrators said was police brutality.
And an executive at Deutsche Bank filed a claim for $50 million against the city of Los Angeles this week, alleging LAPD officers took him to motel near Highland Park, kept him against his will and beat him up when he tried to escape. Police dispute the executive's story and say officers had to subdue the man who snarled and charged them. The LAPD report also said the executive told officers he had used the powerful drug "white lightning," also known as bath salts in recent days.
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