Civil rights groups are outraged after body cam and cell phone footage showed Pasadeno police beating a man and slamming his head into the pavement.
The City of Pasadena released the footage last Friday showing the incident, which took place on Nov. 9.
“While the City is not obligated or required to release such the recordings, […] I believe doing so is in the best interest of the City and that of the public,” Pasadena City Manager Steve Mermell said of the video.
In the video, two unnamed officers attempted to subdue Christopher Ballew, 21, at a gas station after witnessing him commit “multiple traffic violations,” Pasadena Now reported.
Ballew reportedly drew attention from police when they noticed that he had no front license plate and that he had illegally tinted windows, according to City of Pasadena Spokesman William Boyer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWfN3uM88Sw
Escalation into violence
Police say that things became violent when Ballew refused to cooperate with police and attempted to grab a baton from an officer.
However, cell phone footage captured by a bystander told a story of police violence. The video shows one officer hitting Ballew’s right leg, while the other officer hits Ballew repeatedly and slams his head into the pavement.
Although Ballew was taken to the hospital, he was arrested for “assault on a peace officer as well as several unspecified misdemeanors.”
Ballew now claims that he suffered a broken leg because of his treatment at the hands of Pasadena police.
Under review
The police department claimed that the officers acted within department policy. However, the department also announced that they will be reviewing the incident.
“Currently, the whole incident is under review, so there is no timeline for how long that will take. There is no conclusion right now,” City of Pasadena Spokesman Boyer said.