LA investigation into beating of black man
Los Angeles authorities are investigating the arrest of an unarmed black man who was repeatedly struck with an officer’s flashlight, an incident that has sparked comparisons with the 1991 Rodney King beating.
The arrest, captured by a TV news helicopter, showed an officer hitting the suspect 11 times with a metal flashlight after it appeared the man had surrendered following a car chase.
The incident came a week after the Los Angeles Police Department said it had successfully implemented reforms mandated by federal authorities after they identified a “pattern and practice” of civil rights violations by the LAPD.
Police said the man was not seriously injured but did complain that he had been struck in the head and suffered an injury to his nose. He was treated at a nearby hospital.
