Shocking video has emerged showing a transgender man being pummeled and body-slammed to the ground by an LA County Sheriff’s deputy earlier this year after he gave the officer the middle finger.
Emmett Brock, who is transgender, said that the altercation began when he drove past the deputy, who was having a heated conversation with a woman, and flipped him off, according to the LA Times.
Seconds later, Brock said he noticed he was being followed by a sheriff’s cruiser.
Brock said he called 911, but a dispatcher allegedly said, “What is that you want us to do? If he hasn’t pulled you over, he hasn’t pulled you over.”
Brock eventually pulled into a 7-Eleven in Whittier, Calif. where surveillance cameras caught the Feb. 10 altercation.
In the video, Brock got out of his car and is immediately confronted by Deputy Joseph Benza,
“Come here. I just stopped you,” Benza said to Brock.
Broke replied, “No, you didn’t,” as he exited his car.
The deputy quickly grabbed Brock as he replied, “Yeah, I did,” and takes Brock to the ground.
The footage shows Brock screaming for help, yelling “Oh, my God. What the f— is happening.”
The 23-year-old teacher said he felt blood inside his mouth and fists landing on his head.
“You’re gonna kill me! Oh, my God! Help,” Brock screamed as Benza placed him facedown on the ground.
After a few minutes of struggling, Benza arrested the 23-year-old for two misdemeanors, including resisting arrest and battery on an officer.
Brock’s attorney, Thomas Beck, said the deputy injured his own hand when he took down his client. He said the teacher is now jobless and is still facing criminal charges after the violent traffic stop.
“The video speaks for itself,” Beck told LA TV station KTLA. “He was pounding at the kid’s head. He was diagnosed with a concussion later after he was released.”
He said his client was further humiliated after deputies at a Sheriff’s station allegedly asked the 23-year old to show them his genitals before deciding which jail cell he should be placed in.
“This guy committed multiple felonies against my client and he’s gotten away with it so far,” Bck sai.
Benza wrote in a report that he felt his actions were justified, and that he saw Brock cocking his right hand into a fist as if he was about to throw a punch at him.
The deputy added he stopped Brock after he noticed an air freshener on the Honda Civic’s rear-view mirror, which he said was obstructing Brock’s view of the road.
“His rejection of my traffic detention and his apparent intent to distance himself from his vehicle further raised safety concerns,” Benza wrote in an 11-page report. “I know from my training and experience that those who possess contraband items inside vehicles commonly attempt to disassociate themselves from their vehicles when law enforcement is present.”
The deputy also claimed Brock tried to bite him continuously during the struggle, so he punched the 23-year old “approximately eight times in rapid succession.”
“My punches had their intended effect,” Benza wrote in the report.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department released a statement in response to the incident:
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department takes all use of force incidents seriously. The Department is investigating the information and allegations brought forward by Mr. Brock and his attorney. Unfortunately, we cannot comment any further at this time due to the pending litigation in this matter.”