The Orange County Sheriff's Department released dashcam footage of a deputy repeatedly punching a man in the face.
The man, Mohamed Sayem was pulled over for an apparent misdemeanor public intoxication charge by deputies Michael Devitt and Eric Ota.
Devitt claims that Sayem assaulted him after he and Ota found him in his Jeep intoxicated.
The Sheriff's Department released a statement seeming to back Devitt up over the matter, saying:
“A review of the full video indicates that the deputy made every attempt to deescalate the situation and provide the subject multiple opportunities to simply provide his identification. The subject refused to do so and attempted to physically engage the deputy, during which the deputy used force appropriate for the situation.”
Court records say that the encounter started with the asking for identification and escalated when Devitt put a hand on Sayem in an effort to keep in his car.
Sayem yelled at the deputy to not touch him and that's when Devitt grabbed Sayem, pulled him out of his vehicle and began punching him.
Read the full story at the LA Times.