A video has emerged of a San Diego Police Department officer beating a detained man on New Year's Eve in the Gaslamp Quarter.
A video acquired by SanDiegoVille and originally posted by Instagram account @osh.shots shows an arrest that allegedly took place on New Year's Eve at approximately 11pm outside Vybz nightclub on the 800 block of Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter. In the video, multiple San Diego Police Department officers are seen slamming a black male to the ground. Then as one officer pins the man's head to the ground and another holds him down, one officer is seen punching him in the face multiple times. More than a half dozen bicycle cops are seen as part of the encounter.
According to CrimeMapping.com, the description of the incident is "obstruct/resist executive officer with minor injury (F)". We reached out to San Diego Police Department Public Information Officer, Lieutenant Adam Sharki, and he responded with the following:
"Just before midnight on January 1st, uniformed police officers in the Gaslamp saw a man challenging uniformed security to fight. The officers were wearing body cameras and had them activated. The suspect was 6’1” tall and weighed 425 pounds. When officers tried to detain the suspect, he physically resisted. The suspect grabbed an officer’s uniform shirt and neck and then the suspect fell on top of the officer. That officer, who weighs about 160 pounds, sustained visible injuries to his neck. While on the ground, officers tried to handcuff the suspect, but the suspect resisted and grabbed at another officer’s genitals. That officer can be heard yelling on body-worn camera video, 'Stop pinching me,' three times, 'Let go,' twice, and then that officer yells, 'He’s pinching me. He started pinching my groin.' The suspect was arrested for resisting officers with violence and booked into jail. It's important to note that the cellphone video of the arrest circulating on social media does not capture the incident in its entirety, nor does it provide a full perspective of the events that unfolded. The officer struck the suspect only in an effort to stop the man from grabbing his genitals."
