Video of deputy subduing, punching boy in Rancho Cordova leads to Sheriff’s investigation
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday announced it was investigating a use-of-force incident in which a deputy was captured on video pinning a 14-year-old boy on the ground as he struggled to subdue the teen in Rancho Cordova.
The video of the deputy subduing the teen, who is African American, has been widely circulated on various social media platforms.
Sgt. Tess Deterding, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, said Tuesday that the investigation into the incident, which occurred Monday, “is in its infancy” and the facts investigators know now are subject to change as they “conduct a more thorough and complete examination of the circumstances.”
“It’s important to put video footage into context, especially in relation to a use-of-force incident,” Deterding said in a news release.
The video, which is about 15 seconds, begins with the teenage boy with his back on the ground and the deputy right knee near the teen’s chest.
As the video continues, the deputy grabs the teen’s right wrist and pulls his arm in an apparent attempt to turn the teen onto his stomach. The teen appeared to resist, and the deputy uses his right hand to push the teen’s face toward the ground as he tries to pull the teen’s right hand behind his back.
Then, the deputy is seen in the video using his right hand to punch the teen and he used his left hand to hold down the teen.
The person capturing the struggle on video is heard yelling in an apparent attempt to get the teen and the deputy to stop. “Stop hitting him, boss,” the person with the camera says to the deputy.
At one point, they teen appears to yell out in pain when his face makes contact with a cement curb as the deputy places his hand firmly on the teen’s back.
Rancho Cordova has a contract with the Sheriff’s Office to provide police services for the city. The deputy involved in the incident works as Problem Oriented Policing officer with the Rancho Cordova Police Department.
This unit of officers partners with residents, neighborhood officers, and city officials “to strengthen neighborhoods and improve quality of life,” according to the Police Department’s website. These officers concentrate on long-term public safety issues that affect the daily lives of residents, such as a problematic neighbor or local business.
Deterding said the deputy seen in the video was proactively patrolling the area of Mills Station Road and Mather Field Road because residents had complained about “hand-to-hand” sales of alcohol, tobacco and drugs to minors.
On Monday, the deputy spotted what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and a minor, Deterding said. The deputy turned around and lost sight of the adult, who left the area.
Deterding said the deputy approached the teenage boy, who became uncooperative and refused to give the deputy basic identifying information.
“Having reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was occurring, the deputy attempted to detain the juvenile so he could conduct further investigation,” Deterding said in the release. “The juvenile became physically resistive at that time, causing the deputy to lose control of his handcuffs, which landed several feet away.”
She said the deputy, who was alone and waiting for other deputies to arrive and help him, tried to maintain control of the teen without his handcuffs.
The deputy found the teen had tobacco products in his possession, “which is presumably the reason for his resistance,” Deterding said. The deputy cited the teen and released him to his guardians.
“This type of situation is hard on everyone – the young man, who resisted arrest, and the officer, who would much rather have him cooperate,” Deterding said in the release.
A person who posted the video on Instagram, Marcus L. Strother, called the deputy’s actions “extreme excessive force” on a teenage boy.
“There is not one reason that validates a full size armed man, to sit on, punch, and try and break the arms of a child,” Strother wrote on Instagram. “Watching him push his head on the curb by his neck was traumatizing for me. Can’t imagine how this child feels right now.”
California Sen. Kamala Harris shared the video of the incident on her Twitter account Tuesday afternoon.
“This is a horrific abuse of power,” the Democratic senator and former presidential candidate said of the incident. “This officer must be held accountable.”
New chief of department responds
On Wednesday, Rancho Cordova’s new police chief, who started her job Monday, announced that the deputy who is seen on a viral video punching a 14-year-old boy has been reassigned as the department investigates the use-of-force incident that has garnered outrage nationwide.
Chief Kate Adams said the deputy involved in the incident has been temporarily reassigned to a position outside the department.
“I have viewed the video that is circulating and as a chief of police and a mom I have many of the same concerns that have been expressed since the release of the video on social media,” she said in a 2-minute, 30-second video statement posted Wednesday afternoon.
“A complete and thorough investigation takes time it takes time to interview everyone involved to ascertain if more video exists and ultimately to have independent levels of review,” she said. “We ask for your understanding and patience as this moves forward.”
She also said that the department has reached out to the family about the incident after seeing the boy — identified as Elijah Tufono — interviewed by a television station Tuesday night.
“It could’ve been better on both of our parts in this situation,” Tofono told Fox40. “I did lie to him and I didn’t cooperate, and I know that and I made that mistake. But that didn’t give him no right to do what he did.”
Adams said in her video statement that she and her department were working to set up a meeting with the boy and his family.
“It is heartening to me that on both sides, with the young man and the officer, there is a desire to listen to each other and understand how the situation could have been different,” she said.
Black Lives Matter Sacramento planned a news conference with the boy and his family Wednesday night to further discuss the incident.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 6:45 PM.
