A cop from the Los Angeles Police Department, who has three been involved in three on-duty shootings during his career, is under investiga...
A cop from the Los Angeles Police Department, who has three been involved in three on-duty shootings during his career, is under investigation after he was caught repeatedly punching a man in the head while he was handcuffed.
LAPD did not mention the officer by name but the LA Times reported that Frank Hernandez is the cop seen furiously delivering blows to the trespassing suspect in a video filmed by a witness.
In the clip, the two appear to be in conversation before the officer suddenly begins attacking him. The suspect is seen bending over, seemingly to protect his body as his wrists remain in restraints.
The suspect does not appear to be fighting back but the cop is seen delivering a series of punches outside Church of God of the Prophecy, before pausing and starting again. He appears to hit the suspect more than a dozen times.
Officer Frank Hernandez is seen cop is seen punching the suspect outside Church of God of the Prophecy in East LA on April 27. The man was suspected of sleeping in a tent on private property and was arrested for trespassing
Meanwhile his colleague is seen calling for backup and other officers arrive on the scene shortly after.
Bodycam footage shows the cop punch the suspect in the chest before the witness recording began.
A representative for the officer said the man has struggled with him earlier and he believed he was under attack.
'The use of force is justified because the officer believed he was under attack from the suspect… even though you might think the suspect wasn't fighting back at that time, he wasn't complying either,' David Winslow said on Monday.
The suspect had been accused of sleeping in a tent on a private property when he was arrested in Boyle Heights on the 2400 block of Houston Street on April 27.
An supervisor officer reported to the scene and viewed the cell phone footage from a member of the public. The officer also looked at the bodycam footage and the preliminary investigation was passed on to his commanding officer and then Internal Affairs.
A witness was recording the incident from across the street. A fellow officer is seen calling over radio before more cops show up shortly afterwards
Internal Affairs started a formal investigation due to the 'serious nature of the alleged misconduct'.
The suspect was later released from custody and wasn't charged. Police said they have not determined whether the suspect was armed.
The officer has been placed on home duty pending investigation.
LAPD said both the suspect and the officer received injuries as a result of the incident.
'At that location the two officers made contact with a male trespass suspect and directed him to leave the private property,' the police statement said.
'During the course of the investigation a physical altercation occurred between the suspect and one of the officers, resulting in the officer receiving minor injuries to his hand. The suspect had abrasions to his head and face but refused medical attention.'
LAPD chief Michel Moore did not specific address the incident but said Tuesday in a statement: 'I intend to… hold individuals accountable for behavior that is inconsistent with the high standards of this organization.'
The suspect is seen bending over to protect himself. Both the cop and suspected ended up with injuries
Hernandez shot and killed Guatemalan day laborer Manuel Jamines, who was accused of drunkenly waving a knife at two women in the Westlake area in September 2010.
The officer instructed Jamines to drop the knife before shooting him twice. The suspect's family said the shooting death was unjustified as Jamines did not understand the English and Spanish commands but instead spoke K'iche.
There were protests over the shooting death but it was ruled as being within policy.
Hernandez shot and killed Guatemalan day laborer Manuel Jamines, who was accused of drunkenly waving a knife at two women in the Westlake area in September 2010
Two years before that Hernandez was pursuing a man accused of threatening police with a deadly weapon but ended up shooting an 18-year-old who was not connected to the incident. Joseph Wolf had emerged from is home and Hernandez instructed him to stop but instead he went inside.
Hernandez shot him in the leg and claimed Wolf had pointed a gun at him. When police investigated two toys guns were found in his dresser but neither tested positive for his DNA.
Assault with a deadly weapon charges against Wolf were dropped in July 2009 due to witness statements and DNA evidence.
Hernandez got 'administrative disapproval' for unjustifiable deviation from policy.
The officer also shot a robbery suspect in South LA in 1999. Hernandez said she pointed a weapon at him. Police found a loaded gun at the scene. The woman survived the shooting.
Winslow said about Hernandez's prior investigations: 'Anything that happened prior to this has nothing to do with the facts that were before [the officer] on that day.'
A man involved over the shooting death 10 years ago was frustrated about the latest incident.
'We're always frustrated that whenever there is a problem officer, all they do is they transfer them,' Carlos Montes, from the Centro CSO: Community Service Organization in Boyle Heights, said. 'And now they transferred him to Boyle Heights.'
Demonstrators at a makeshift memorial to Manuel Jamines on September 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California
Protesters demonstrated for three nights after the shooting of the Guatemalan immigrant
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