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A California sheriff’s deputy was caught on “disturbing” surveillance video kicking a suspect in the head as he appeared to surrender, authorities said.
The footage, obtained by TMZ, shows the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Willie Jones, being busted by a San Bernardino County deputy at a Toyota car dealership after he crawled out from underneath a parked car.
The deputy, who is holding a flashlight, appears to order Jones to get down on the ground, the clip shows.
Jones then appears to raise his hands in compliance and begins to lower himself to the ground face-down — but the deputy launches a soccer-style kick to the man’s chest before kicking him a second time in the face, the video shows.
Seconds later, a second deputy arrives and helps take Jones into custody.
Undersheriff Shannon Dicus said the incident happened after Jones allegedly led the deputy, who was not publicly identified, on a high-speed chase that ended at the dealership early Wednesday in Victorville.
“I want to ensure the citizens of San Bernardino County the sheriff and I are aware of the alarming video depicting a deputy kicking a suspect,” Dicus said in a video statement late Friday.
The deputy tried to pull the suspect over after he allegedly made several traffic violations, department officials said.
But when the suspect failed to pull over, he set off a chase during which he drove the wrong way on Interstate 15 — narrowly missing several head-on collisions in the process.
Dicus said department officials learned of the footage when a watch commander was notified by a security company that monitors the dealership’s parking lot.
“The watch commander reviewed the video and immediately determined the deputy’s actions were disturbing,” the undersheriff continued.
“I want to ensure our community that it is our expectation that deputies respond to any incident professionally and in a manner that’s consistent with their training.”
Jones was treated at the scene for his injuries and was later charged with suspicion of felony evading, authorities said.
The deputy is now on paid administrative leave as a criminal investigation is underway. Dicus said a subsequent internal probe will also be conducted to determine if “appropriate employment actions” are needed as well.
“This incident raises concerns,” Sheriff John McMahon added in a statement regarding the deputy’s use of force. “Once the investigation is completed, it will be submitted to the District Attorney’s Office for their review.”
Jones, meanwhile, was released from custody after posting bail. He could not be reached for comment Saturday, the Press-Enterprise reported.
It’s unclear if the second deputy on the scene reported the incident to supervisors, as they’re required to do per department policy in suspected incidents of inappropriate use of force, the newspaper reported.
“Due to this being an active investigation, no further details are being released,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller said Saturday.
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