A Sacramento police officer seen on video hurling a pedestrian to the ground and repeatedly punching him in the face is the subject of a criminal investigation, authorities said on Tuesday evening.
The uniformed officer, whose name hasn’t been released, was placed on leave. He tried to stop the man just after 5 p.m. Monday whom he said was unlawfully crossing the intersection of Cypress Street and Grand Avenue in north Sacramento, according to the police department. The pedestrian was identified as Nandi Cain Jr.
Bystander Naomi Montaie, who took the video and posted it on Facebook, can be heard screaming, “Oh my God! Why’d you take him down like that? No! That was wrong!”
Montaie filmed the five-minute-long video as the officer called for back-up. Six additional officers arrived to assist in Cain’s arrest.
The Sacramento Police Department released dash cam video of a violent arrest of a man in Sacramento who was thrown to the ground and punched by a police officer. The incident has sparked outrage from the community and civic leaders.
“The actions of the involved Sacramento police officer are disturbing and do not appear to be reasonable based upon the circumstances,” the Police Department said in a statement. “The Sacramento Police Department holds itself to the highest professional standard and the actions that were observed are not indicative of the dedicated women and men who work for the Department.”
