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A California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer was captured on video brutally punching a woman in the face, reports KTLA.com.

RELATED: UPDATED: Dr. Ersula Ore On Police Brutality Incident: ‘I Did What I Was Supposed To Do’ [VIDEO]

Witness David Diaz recorded the violent encounter from his car after he saw the officer follow the woman around a pick-up truck while approaching an on ramp on the 10 freeway.

Read more from KTLA:

The truck pulled away and Diaz started recording. Eventually another man runs over to assist the officer. Diaz assumed it was an undercover officer.

The CHP wouldn’t talk with Eyewitness News on camera about this incident, but in a written statement, CHP said the officer ordered the woman to stop, but she ignored him. Fearing she would be hurt, the CHP says the officer tried placing her under arrest.

“A physical altercation ensued as the pedestrian continued to resist arrest, at which point a plain clothes, off duty officer assisted in applying the handcuffs,” the CHP said in the statement.

But Diaz says he’s still disturbed by the violent response of the officer… that the woman didn’t seem to be fighting back and could have been subdued in a much safer manner.

“There was no weapons, it’s obviously excess force at this point,” said Diaz. “He could have easily calmed her down. You can use strength without punching.”

SEE ALSO: Russell Neal: ‘Hi-Five’ Singer Facing Murder Charge In Houston [VIDEO]

CHP spokesperson Sgt. Denise Joslin issued the following statement:

“The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is aware of the video and we are looking into the incident.  As a matter of policy, every time there is a use of force by our officers, there is a review conducted to determine whether the use of force was appropriate.  That will be done in this case, however, since there is an ongoing investigation, it would be premature to comment on this specific video segment without reviewing the entire incident.”

Read more at KTLA.

This kind of violence toward women by law enforcement is becoming increasingly common.

As previously reported by NewsOne,  Ersula Ore, an English professor at Arizona State University who was pushed and slammed to the ground by a police officer last month after refusing to show identification, now faces felony charges for assaulting an officer.

Arizona State initially supported the actions of the officer and Dr. Ore has been placed on leave.

Read that story here.