After a video surfaced showing two sheriff’s deputies using their fists and batons to beat a suspect in a San Francisco alley as he tried to turn himself in, two Bay Area public defenders have called for criminal charges to be filed against the officers.
The assault comes at a time of increased scrutiny of police use of force following several high-profile clashes with suspects that have sparked protests across the country over the past two years.
The footage has sparked calls for criminal charges to be brought against the two officers. Photo: Screenshot
The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said suspect Stanislav Petrov, 26, fled the scene in a stolen vehicle, crashed into a patrol car and led deputies on a high-speed pursuit before being arrested.
Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods called the assault “abhorrent” and said in a statement Sunday that it was reminiscent of the 1991 police beating of Rodney King.
“Officers violently assaulted a man who appeared to be surrendering, striking him with batons even though he was not resisting,” Woods said. Woods’ office is likely to defend Petrov against criminal charges. “This was clearly excessive force.”
Security camera footage posted to YouTube on Friday by the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office shows Petrov running into an alley in San Francisco’s Mission District, then speeding off and being apprehended by one of two Alameda County sheriff’s deputies.
They then punched and baton-charged Petrov at least 30 times as he screamed, and the video shows Petrov trying to get up, surrender or defend himself from the blows.
Alameda County Sheriff’s Sergeant J.D. Nelson said the incident began about 1:30 a.m. last Thursday in San Leandro when deputies were investigating a stolen vehicle.
The video shows two officers beating the man with their fists and weapons. Photo: Screenshot
Petrov fled the scene, crashing into a sheriff’s patrol car and slightly injuring a deputy, before crashing into a parked car and fleeing on foot after a 38-minute pursuit, Nelson said.
Nelson said Petrov has a criminal record and will face numerous charges, and that two deputies have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
“This video concerns everyone,” Nelson said.
The San Francisco public defender’s office said in a statement Monday that it agreed with its Alameda County office, adding that “prosecutors must bring criminal charges against the officers.”
A spokesman for the San Francisco public defender’s office said Petrov remained hospitalized as of Monday, recovering from a broken hand and arm and a laceration to the head.
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