The Antelope Valley Times

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Use of force investigation launched after video shows Palmdale deputies restraining, punching man

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[Sceenshots from Facebook video posted by Richard Mağuire]
PALMDALE – The Palmdale Sheriff’s Station has confirmed it will launch an objective use of force investigation after a video circulated on social media showing deputies restraining and apparently punching a man in Palmdale Saturday afternoon.

The incident happened on 35th Street East and Palmdale Boulevard, behind Midway Market Liquor, according to the person who posted the video.

The video [see below] begins with deputies reaching into the driver’s side of a grey vehicle, as one of the deputies appears to repeatedly punch into the vehicle. The video then cuts to several deputies piled onto a person on the ground. The video eventually cuts again to a partially clothed man being carried away by three deputies.

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Palmdale Sheriff’s Station officials did not respond to a request from The AV Times to clarify the circumstances surrounding the video.

However, a message posted Tuesday to the Palmdale Sheriff Station’s Facebook page states: “On August 28, 2021, at approximately 5:15 p.m., deputies assigned to Palmdale Station were conducting a driving under the influence investigation when a use of force ensued. Due to the active investigation, we are unable to offer further comment at this time. The use of force will be subject of a full, complete, thorough, and objective investigation.”

The man in the video was identified by family members as 35-year-old Samuel Chavez Reyes. He was arrested around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, and booked into the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station jail at 11:30 p.m., according to LASD inmate records.

Chavez Reyes was charged Tuesday with two misdemeanor counts of resisting an executive officer in connection with Saturday’s arrest, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office. No other charges were filed against Chavez Reyes as of Tuesday.

Community activists condemned the deputies’ actions and called on Sheriff Alex Villanueva to remove them from duty.

“Deputies involved in this incident are a threat to the safety and security of our community,” said Dr. Miguel S. Coronado, Chairman of the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station Community Advisory Committee. “This criminal behavior will continue to occur as long as qualified immunity protects rogue deputies.”

“Nevertheless, it’s utterly important not to paint every deputy as a criminal,” Coronado added.

Coronado is assisting the Spanish-speaking family with securing legal representation.

UPDATE: Samuel Chavez Reyes pleaded not guilty Tuesday, Aug. 31, to two misdemeanor counts of resisting an executive officer, and he is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 8 for pretrial, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

20 comments for "Use of force investigation launched after video shows Palmdale deputies restraining, punching man"

  1. This use of force appears to go out of policy and should be investigated by an outside agency. The use of punches is rarely effective in taking suspects into custody and appears inappropriate for the circumstances.

    • The use of punches are rarely effective , did you just make that up ? Or did your wife tim tell you that. You both seem to know so much about justice , politics , equality , why are you both lamos from lanscatter and why aren’t you using that big brain to solve the worlds problems. Oh I know why, your a liberal so you both are just victims of this cruel and harsh world. So pathetic, oh and liberals are the first to call the police.

      • LOLOLOLOL…Stinger is gonna laugh himself sick when he reads that one.

        I’m first to say…no, he didn’t just make that up, and he knows a WHOLE lot more about actual department policy than I do…and since you clearly know nothing at all you should have just kept quietly polishing that baton.

        • “The resulting effect may be that the person will now fight even more strongly against your efforts to control him. ”

          Cop didn’t have to worry about that part since there were six other cops holding the dude down. Those punches weren’t “an effort to control,” they were a cop that was out of control.

          • It certainly appears that way. Which, in, and of itself, is part of the problem with using punches for attempting to subdue a suspect. Even IF justified, it just plain looks bad.

          • A big part of the problem is that without this video the other six cops would have gone home at the end of the day saying “I am a good cop, it wasn’t me that blew my lid and wailed on that guy”…having made no mention of the incident to anyone. I seriously hope the official reports of the incident are preserved so the investigators can find out who the “good cops” on the blue wall are and bury the lot of them. Time to stop the “one bad apple” BS and tell these thugs that if they don’t clean their own house they can get tossed out of it with the rest of the garbage…and I’m not talking “accept their resignation for ‘personal reasons’ and send them on to plague some other department,” I’m talking TOSSED OUT.

  2. Palmdale station LASD pulled up on me and pointed a gun in my face and rousted me for riding my bicycle. It was about 2pm. I was riding my bike to the gym. In the middle of the day. In gym clothes. They wonder why people hate LASD.
    ACAB

  3. Don’t break the law don’t resist don’t be a dam loser and you wont get in trouble.FOLLOW THE DAM LAW! _

    • You truly believe that this happens to only people that break the law? It says the only charges against him were 2 misdemeanor charges of resisting. that could simply mean he said no to a command or him not giving them an Id. if you think a misdemeanor resiting warranted what took place than you are part of the problem that plagues the LASD.

  4. I have to say saddly I RECOGNIZE alot of these deputys from palmdale station.These Deputys have no respect for anyone. They will lie and they will try as hard as they can to get you locked up or worse beat up. Every traffic stop out here in palmdale will turn into under the influence investigation even if your riding a bicycle like I was when I got pulled over for not having a front light .from a bicycle citation turn to a Felony driving under influence jajaja.they cut me a break and set me free after I request a supervisor and surprised them with me knowing My rights and that was why I was set free. ..

  5. “The Palmdale Sheriff’s Station has confirmed it will launch an objective use of force investigation after a video circulated on social media showing deputies restraining and apparently punching a man in Palmdale Saturday afternoon.”

    The key word here is “after.” Thank you to the good samaritan with the camera, because if there hadn’t been a circulated video there would be no investigation…just seven good cops swearing for each other’s innocent good behavior.

  6. If it was a DUI investigation why wasn’t he charged with DUI? Why was he only charged with resisting arrest? So there was no DUI after all??? I don’t understand how you can be charged with resisting arrest when it looks like there wasn’t even anything to be arrested for! SMH

    • It looks like he has a doctorate in Education. I’m not sure what you mean when you put his title in quotes. I mean, I don’t know the guy, but the very act of achieving a doctorate in anything shouldn’t be disrespected.