A Black, Los Angeles man is recovering from injuries sustained during an encounter with the police which began as a plea for help.
On Tuesday an unnamed man was tased by deputies of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department while he attempted to assist victims of a nearby car crash in South Los Angeles, according to VICE. Police claimed they used a taser as a last resort.
A video recorded by witnesses has over 25k likes with over 9K tweets. The video’s vantage point from across the street shows the exact moment when officers employed a taser, sending the man hurdling into the street. As he lays on the ground a man exits out of a nearby house and runs to intervene.
“Hey, he’s not in his right mind!” he yells at the officers as they attempt to grab him. “He’s not in his right f—–g mind!”
“Get off of me, don’t f—-g touch me,” he replies as officers tackle him to the pavement.
Police confirmed that the two men are related, but would also not release the nature of their relation or his name.
Witnesses scream at the optics of officers using excessive force, which routinely ends in death for Black community members.
Off camera a woman can be heard validating the second man’s claims, sharing that she felt the young man may have struggled with mental illness.
“As deputies arrived, an individual ran onto the roadway, blocking the path of the deputies’ vehicle,” a sheriff’s department spokesperson told VICE. “Deputies exited their patrol vehicle and contacted the individual. Despite their de-escalation efforts, the individual became hostile and a use of force occurred.”
The second man was released from the hospital, while the man who attempted to get the police’s attention was still in the hospital as of Tuesday.
The sheriff’s spokesperson said an investigation was ongoing.
Recently the role of good Samaritan took the life of Jonathan Price, 31, who was fatally shot by Wolfe City police after he intervened in a domestic dispute. Walter Wallace, a 27-year-old Black man, was shot and killed by police after cops claimed he attempted to lunge at them with a knife. Wallace’s family said he struggled with his mental health and his mother heartbreakingly described his last moments after officers ignored her pleas and shot him.
Black community members consistently have to worry about the use of excessive force in their interactions with the police. Over the last ten years, with the increase of videos being shared to social media as living proof of these deadly encounters, the calls for police reform and de-escalation training among law enforcement ring louder, even as officers continue to avoid accountability under the argument of impunity.
A continuation of these encounters only continues to erode the trust of Black community members weary of a system founded to enslave them.
