Barstow Police Officer Beats Unarmed Black Man with Baton During Arrest

A Southern California police officer beat an unarmed Black man with a baton throughout an arrest — which has echoes of Rodney King … however cops say this man instigated it.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, which exhibits an older gentleman retreating with his fingers up whereas being pursued by a Barstow PD officer Friday afternoon within the desert group. The cop has his baton raised as he inches nearer, and ultimately swings on him.

You can see the officer seem to offer an order — which appears to be like like he may’ve been saying get on the bottom — earlier than manhandling the older man and subduing him. However, because the photog who took this famous, the cop begins to wail on the dude even after he is down.

He will get about 4 good swings on him earlier than different officers arrive to the scene and assist comprise the scenario. The man is then handcuffed and led over to EMTs, who briefly examine him … and he is then led to a police cruiser and brought away. The man may be seen limping.

Barstow PD tells TMZ the person who took the beating is 43-year-old Gary Christian — whom they are saying was wished on an open felony warrant for a probation violation … and who this officer acknowledged on Main Street. BPD says the officer tried to make contact and place Christian underneath arrest, however declare Christian assaulted the officer not as soon as … however twice.

BPD says the officer deployed his taser unsuccessfully, at which level … the baton got here out. They say Christian was handled at a hospital for minor contusions to his leg … and was then booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept. High Desert Detention Center.

Barstow PD additionally says this … “The department has a copy of that video and would like the community to know that a comprehensive administrative investigation will be conducted into this incident to determine if the force used by the officer was within Barstow Police Department policy and current law.” In different phrases, they will look into this internally.

Of course, the comparability to the beating Rodney King acquired within the ’90s will undoubtedly be made. That incident led to harmful riots in and round Los Angeles — and in the end got here to have an effect on a lot of different LA-based occasions within the years that adopted.

The extra regarding half about this, although, is that Barstow PD had one other race-related police incident just a few years in the past … when their officers shot and killed an unarmed Black in a parking zone as they felt an obvious risk. His identify was Diante Yarber, a 26-year-old.

His household mentioned the killing was unjustified … however after a assessment by the authorities, they discovered the officers had an inexpensive perception that their lives had been in peril, and that lethal power was warranted. They fired round 30 bullets at his parked automotive, which was in a Walmart lot.

Considering the historical past in that city already, one thing tells us the group is not going to take this newest incident very properly. Fact is, it definitely appears to be like to be extreme power on its face.