Violent arrest caught on camera in California sparks investigation

Police in Vallejo, Calif. are under scrutiny after a video of an officer take-down of a suspect at a gas station went viral.

The incident started when someone called 911 to report a man acting “crazy” on Friday afternoon, CBS news reported.

The video starts with the officer chasing a man who eventually gives up and sits on the ground.

The officer then pushes the suspect to the ground, and tries to handcuff him. When the suspect appears to struggle, the officer hits him in the head, first with his bare hands and then with what looks like his flashlight.

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Another officer drives up and the two are able to detain the suspect.

One bystander could be heard shouting “police brutality.”

“The kid surrendered,” one witness told CBS news. “The cop, on the other hand, came up right behind him and he was tired too. But he immediately dove on the kid and started wailing on him.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The kid surrendered," one witness told CBS news. "The cop, on the other hand, came up right behind him and he was tired too. But he immediately dove on the kid and started wailing on him."

Vallejo police said their Internal Affairs department is investigating the incident, and the officer involved will be on leave until the investigation is complete. The names of both the officer and suspect haven’t been released.

“Just like anyone else, officers are innocent until proven guilty,” Lt. Jeff Bassett from Vallejo police department wrote in a statement to KRON 4 news.

“Violence is always ugly but police officers are exposed to violent situations every day and they are required to overcome that violence not just match it. We will investigate this matter and will take the appropriate action if any policy or law has been broken.”

While witnesses and people online are questioning whether the officer used excessive force in the arrest, police officials say that’s the way they are trained.

“Basically that’s what they’re trained to do,” Don Cameron, a police trainer from California told CBS news. “When we’re down on the ground, we want to get the person in custody as quickly as we can and we use personal weapons.”

Police say the suspect was arrested and charged with being under the influence and resisting arrest.