Surveillance footage showing a man being punched and kicked during his arrest by Indio police officers was released by court officials on Tuesday. The footage resulted in the two officers being fired and the city agreeing to pay $140,000 to an admitted gang member as the settlement in an excessive force lawsuit.
The Desert Sun obtained the video – which was filmed by a motion activated camera in back of Pueblo Viejo Grill in 2014.
Here is the video (note: the video does not embed on all devices – you may need to click here to view it):
Via the Desert Sun:
The video shows former officer Gerardo Martinez pinning a suspect to the ground while he is punched and kicked by another former officer, Charles Holloway. Martinez never throws a punch, but he was accused of attempting to cover up the actions of his partner because his report on the arrest made no mention of Holloway’s strikes.
The suspect, Ruben Martinez, later filed an excessive force lawsuit against the city, accusing officers of showing “callous, reckless and wanton” disregard for his civil rights. The attorney who filed the suit said it would have been near hopeless without the video footage. The civil suit was settled in April.
The officers were acquitted in the beating and falsifying reports last week.
Both men are attempting to get their jobs back.
Read more at the Desert Sun.
