Rancho Cordova police officer who beat child in viral video must be held accountable

The viral video of a Rancho Cordova police officer violently attacking a child on the ground is shocking and shameful. The officer sits atop the child, yanking his body around with great force and punching at his face – all because the 14-year old allegedly had “tobacco products.”

“At one point, the 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,” wrote Rosalio Ahumada of The Sacramento Bee.

“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,” wrote Marcus L. Strother, who posted a video of the incident 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.”

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office has launched an investigation, but the official statement from the department’s spokesperson sounds like the usual circling of the wagons.

“It’s important to put video footage into context, especially in relation to a use of force incident,” wrote Sgt. Tess Deterding. “In this case, the deputy saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile.”

Deterding’s statement alleges that the juvenile told the officer he was 18 and “became physically resistive.” What followed is captured on the video. It shows a large, armed man engaged in extreme physical violence against an unarmed African American child less than half his size. All because the child allegedly had tobacco.

This is completely unacceptable. Nearly three years after three Sacramento sheriff’s deputies shot a disturbed African American man named Mikel McIntyre to death on Highway 50 – and two years after Sacramento Police Department officers killed an African American man named Stephon Clark in his grandparents’ back yard – our community must once again confront a scene of horrific police violence against black people.

We must also confront a legal and law enforcement establishment designed to defend the actions of officers regardless of the circumstances. District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert declined to file charges against the officers who killed McIntyre and Clark.

In the wake of Clark’s death, a movement sprang up to successfully push for a change in the law. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 392, which shifted the standard for when law enforcement officers can use deadly force. If Sacramento authorities find a way to justify this officer’s brutality toward a child, it may be time for more changes in the law.

The video shows an out of control man who has no business being a police officer. It shows a large and powerful man committing great violence upon a child. It shows a man who should be stripped of his badge, prosecuted and punished.

“This is a horrific abuse of power,” said Sen. Kamala Harris on Twitter. “This officer must be held accountable.”

Harris is right, but she must do more than tweet. This case needs a righteous intervention to ensure that this officer doesn’t get off scot-free, as appears to be customary in Sacramento County. Sen. Harris – the state’s former attorney general – should act as a powerful force to channel social media outrage into social change.

This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 9:06 AM.