Yet another shocking example of police brutality has emerged with a video showing San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies beating and kicking a man more than 50 times after he had already surrendered following a chase through rough terrain.
The clip shows 30-year-old Francis Jared Pusok frantically attempting to flee pursuing cops on horseback through the Deep Creek area of Apple Valley yesterday afternoon.
When the horse is spooked by a police helicopter, Pusok falls off before he is approached by an officer who tases him. Pusok is face down in the dirt and obviously not resisting, but another cop arrives on the scene and immediately begins violently kicking and punching Pusok in the head. The other officer also appears to pistol whip Pusok with the taser.
Seven other officers then arrive, some of whom also begin kicking and beating Pusok while he lay prostrate.
“In the two minutes after the man was stunned with a Taser, it appeared deputies kicked him 17 times, punched him 37 times and struck him with batons four times. Thirteen blows appeared to be to the head,”reports NBC Los Angeles.
“The man did not appear to move from his position lying on the ground for more than 45 minutes. He did not appear to receive medical attention while deputies stood around him during that time.”
Pusok’s girlfriend, Jolene Bindner, said authorities refused to tell her which hospital he had been taken to or his condition.
“They have not told me a thing,” she said. “How can you be tased and still feel it’s necessary to beat him like that? I don’t understand.”
An internal investigation has been launched into the incident, with San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon claiming that the suspect struggled with the officers at the start of the confrontation, an assertion which the video evidence does not back up.
The chase began when deputies attempted to serve a search warrant at Pusok’s home, before he escaped in a vehicle and led cops on a pursuit through unincorporated Apple Valley, the town of Apple Valley and unincorporated Hesperia.
Pusok abandoned the vehicle before taking off on foot and subsequently stealing a horse.
Footage of the incident emerges just three days after another video which showed Walter Scott being shot in the back eight times by officer Michael Slager in North Charleston as he attempted to flee.
" Whew! Those guys are pissed. Every cop who walks up gets in a few licks. "
Yeah, and a couple even went off to the side & sat down to take a break. They were pissed, like he had just bought & ate the last of the Krispie Kreme doughnuts.
