© sfpublicdefender/YouTube
The whole incident was filmed on CCTV, with sound. The cops appear to be shouting "Why'd you f*#%ing run?" as they use batons to repeatedly beat the suspect. The two Alameda County Sheriff's deputies have been placed on paid leave on Sunday, following the incident on Thursday, the Sheriff's spokesman told the SF Gate. Their names are not being disclosed.
The chase went from San Leandro to the Mission neighborhood in San Francisco. The deputies approached the man before the car chase, which ensued after the suspect, Stanislav Petrov, 29, fled in a stolen car, at around 1:38am, according to the spokesman. Before making his escape, Petrov reportedly rammed one of the officers' cars, allegedly also knocking down one of the officers. They then pursue him into SF, until he crashed his car and tried to run. The pair eventually caught up with him in an alleyway, immediately laying into him with their batons and boots. Petrov lay face down on the ground, without resisting.
He can be heard screaming for help, as the two continue. This lasted for about 30 seconds until backup arrived, but the video has been pieced together from several bits of footage, so the beating could have gone on for longer than that. They reportedly thought the suspect was armed and could also be on drugs.
A gun was later recovered from Petrov. He was taken to the San Francisco General Hospital after the beating, where he remained until Sunday with no information available on his condition.
San Francisco public defender, Jeff Adachi, who released the video, believes excessive force was used by the two cops. "He didn't pose any threat at that point, and they are clearly using excessive force and trying to seriously hurt him when he was on the ground and subdued.
Comment: An alleged suspect or not, you'd have to be stupid NOT to run from police these days.
Police in America kill 1,031 civilians in 317 days: More than 3 per day, every single day in 2015