A Los Angeles Police Department officer is suspended after video showing him punching a suspect who was handcuffed to a gurney went viral this past weekend.
The officer is shown winding up and coming from a distance to lay a punch on the immobilized man, who reportedly called him a "b*tch" and spat on him.
LAPD officer winds up and punches someone on a stretcher being put into an ambulance.\n\nMust\u2019ve posed a major threat.pic.twitter.com/UmbbksXDB7— Anti-Fascist Abolitionist AWK (@Anti-Fascist Abolitionist AWK) 1629140907
Bad cops don\u2019t get fired, but when they do\u2026https://twitter.com/awkwordrap/status/1387846537410121738\u00a0\u2026— Anti-Fascist Abolitionist AWK (@Anti-Fascist Abolitionist AWK) 1629156155
There\u2019s no job where you can walk up from 5+ feet away and punch someone handcuffed to a gurney without getting fired\u2026 unless your job is to \u201cserve and protect\u201d the people I guess— Derrick T. (@Derrick T.) 1629145105
He's suspended and relieved of powers. I hope they charge him. Shouldn't be a cop if he can't handle verbal provocation. They don't get the excuse of being a normal citizen when they carry the badge. Period. \nPhysical attack only for REAL physical threat.https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc7.com/amp/lapd-officer-punch-suspect/10954218/\u00a0\u2026— Lee-Marie Bartow (@Lee-Marie Bartow) 1629148470
That's plainly battery. He has committed a crime.— florida boy (@florida boy) 1629142006
The officer, who has yet to be identified by name by the LAPD, has reportedly been "suspended" pending an investigation into the moment.
"The images in the video are deeply disturbing and while we must wait for the investigation to be completed, the Department will act swiftly in any instance of excessive or unnecessary force," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement, as reported by ABC7.
An LAPD KKKop was suspended, probably still getting paid, for punching an already restrained \u201csuspect\u201d sitting on an ambulance stretcher.\n\nHe called the KKKop, a \u201cBitch\u201d then spit in his direction, to which the unmasked (no CV19 precaution) LAPD Officer punched him in the face.pic.twitter.com/sk0EFKggDJ— Radical Veteran (@Radical Veteran) 1629137130
\u201cThe images in the video are deeply disturbing and while we must wait for the investigation to be completed, the Department will act swiftly in any instance of excessive or unnecessary force,\u201d LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement. \nvia: @KTLA \n@LAPDChiefMoore fuck you— Radical Veteran (@Radical Veteran) 1629137131
@latimes again your article sucks, you might as well be FOX News. \u201cAllegedly striking\u201d\u2026there is video evidence.https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-15/lapd-officer-suspended-for-allegedly-striking-suspect-after-carjacking-incident\u00a0\u2026— Radical Veteran (@Radical Veteran) 1629137131
Mean while you are here please #GoogleLASDGangs and #WiSpa\n\nThen take a look at this thread below.https://twitter.com/joeyneverjoe/status/1427397631282581533\u00a0\u2026— Radical Veteran (@Radical Veteran) 1629153474
Just curious which one of the 8 upstanding @LAPDHQ officers is the "good one"\n\nWatch the video, and do the math. \nYour odds of finding a "good officer" in Los Angeles are verifiably less than one in eight— ~VViseguy~ (@~VViseguy~) 1629165327
The other outstanding hallmark of the video is the presence of other officers who do nothing to intervene in the violent officer's actions.
Policing isn\u2019t about justice, it\u2019s about a bunch of gun nerds getting to feel strong— \ud835\ude85\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude93\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude9d \ud835\ude82\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude90\ud835\ude91 (@\ud835\ude85\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude93\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude9d \ud835\ude82\ud835\ude92\ud835\ude97\ud835\ude90\ud835\ude91) 1629154228
Spitting \u201con\u201d is assault and battery, but yelling \u201cbitch\u201d and spitting \u201cat\u201d a cop is protected speech. Cops don\u2019t get to react b/c they feel insulted. They must use necessary force to prevent a battery, but under no circumstances may they restrict communicative expression.— Todd Butler (@Todd Butler) 1629156927
Baldy was ready to mace him too.— Kev (@Kev) 1629160720
cops need more training and understanding of their personal mental health and citizens\u2019 mental health to prevent situations like this. This boy looks no older than 23 and just stole a car\u2026. why is the cop so triggered ? why aren\u2019t cops trained in empathy ?— Mary Cate Carroll (@Mary Cate Carroll) 1629162591
ACAB— snochick (@snochick) 1629203359
The LAPD has yet to respond to any quests for comment about the incident.
