Rancho Cordova chief says cop seen pinning boy has been reassigned during investigation
The Rancho Cordova police chief, who started her new job this week, announced on Wednesday 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 different role outside the Rancho Cordova Police Department “due to the volatile nature of the situation and the pending investigation.”
“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,” Adams said in a video the department posted on YouTube Wednesday.
The deputy is seen in the video, which has been widely circulated on social media, shows the deputy pinning the teen with his back on the ground. The video also shows the deputy punching the boy while holding him down and pushing the teen’s face toward a cement curb.
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.
A sheriff’s spokeswoman has 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. The deputy turned around and lost sight of the adult, who left the area, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Then, the deputy approached the teenage boy, who became uncooperative and refused to give the deputy basic identifying information. The sheriff’s spokeswoman said the deputy tried to detain the teen, who physically resisted, and the struggle on the ground ensued. The teen was later found to be in possession of tobacco products.
Adams started her new job as police chief on Monday, the same day the incident occurred. She said she would have liked to introduce herself to the community under different circumstances, but she felt was necessary to speak to residents about Monday’s incident.
“I feel it’s important to address you personally as the chief and to take this opportunity to tell you how seriously we take this incident,” Adams said. “The trust of our community is so very important to us, as is transparency.”
The department has launched an internal affairs investigation into the incident, but Adams said those investigations take time to question everyone involved, to determine whether anymore video of the incident exists and to have an independent review.
“We ask for your understanding and patience as this moves forward,” Adams said.
The police chief also said she has been in contact with the deputy, and they both have seen a news report “in which the young man expressed remorse about the way he handled himself.” The teen, identified as Elijah Tufono, was 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 says the teen also said he wants to meet with the deputy, and that her department has tried to arrange a meeting with the teen’s family. But she said that the teen’s family has not yet agreed to such a meeting.
“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,” Adams said.
Black Lives Matter Sacramento planned a news conference with the boy and his family Wednesday night to further discuss the incident.
