Sacramento County Investigating Deputy's Use of Force Against 14-Year-Old Boy

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is investigating use of force by a deputy who was recorded on video as he struggled with a 14-year-old boy he was trying to detain.

The 15-second video of the incident, which took place Monday in Rancho Cordova, begins with the boy on his back on the ground and the deputy’s right knee near the youth’s chest, the Sacramento Bee reported. The video shows the deputy, who appears to be white, grabbing the African American teen’s right wrist and pulling his arm in an apparent attempt to turn the teen onto his stomach.

The teen appeared to resist, and the deputy used a hand to push the youth’s face toward the ground while pulling the teen’s right hand behind his back. The deputy then punched the teen with his right hand while holding him down with his left hand.

Sen. Kamala Harris posted the video of the incident to her Twitter account Tuesday, calling it “a horrific abuse of power.”

In a statement, the Sheriff’s Department – which staffs the city of Rancho Cordova Police Department under contract – said the deputy was in the area due to complaints from citizens about hand-to-hand sales of alcohol, tobacco and drugs to minors.

“It’s important to put video footage into context, especially in relation to a use-of-force incident,” the statement reads. “In this case, the deputy saw what he believed to be a hand-to-hand exchange between an adult and juvenile. As the deputy turned around, he lost sight of the adult, who left the area. When the deputy approached the juvenile, the juvenile was uncooperative and refused to give the deputy basic identifying information.”

The Sheriff’s Department said the juvenile told the deputy he was 18 years old. Tobacco products were recovered from the juvenile, who was cited and released to his guardians, the department said.

The incident comes in the wake of two new laws regulating use of force by law enforcement in California.

In January, a new state law took effect further restricting when law enforcement officers can use deadly force. A second new law requires the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to develop and implement training and guidelines on use of force.

Those laws gained momentum following the 2018 Sacramento police shooting death of Stephon Clark, an unarmed black man who was killed in his grandparents’ backyard.

KQED’s Katie Orr contributed to this story.