A California police officer was placed on paid leave after a viral video showed him punching a female assault suspect in the face.
The officer, who has not been named, struck the woman in the face twice after she was “not compliant” and “became combative” when he and another officer were attempting to arrest her, the Westminster Police Department said.
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Ciomara Garcia, was taken to a local hospital, but no injuries were reported. She was later booked into jail in Orange County.
Police were dispatched around 4 p.m. on Wednesday when they received a call about Garcia allegedly trying to assault another woman who was trying to rescue a dog running in the street. Garcia reportedly had an outstanding felony bench warrant for vandalism and exhibited signs of being under the influence.
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Garcia will face criminal charges of assault and battery, as well as charges of being under the influence of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, and assault on a police officer, which will be submitted to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The video, shared on social media, showed the woman trying to get up off the ground while in handcuffs. When she falls back down, an officer can be seen punching her twice. Two others then seem to hold him back.
Sandy Armenta, who filmed the video, said she watched the scene unfold with her father and a neighbor.
Armenta said she believes the woman kicked once toward the officers, adding that she heard the other two officers at the scene trying to stop the one who hit her. One officer in the video can be heard saying, “Stop,” while another who was standing by with a notepad jumped in, yelling, “No, no, no.”
“The other two officers told him to stop. And they backed him up, and he wasn’t on the scene anymore,” Armenta said, according to KTLA.
The department is conducting an investigation into the incident.
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the Westminster Police Department but did not immediately receive a response.
