By TAMI ABDOLLAH
LOS ANGELES — A congresswoman
said Wednesday that video of a California Highway Patrol officer repeatedly
punching a woman he had pinned on the side of a Los Angeles freeway is
unjustifiable police brutality.
Rep. Maxine Waters said the
officer should be fired for "viciously" punching the woman and the
CHP must thoroughly investigate.
She called the incident a
"brutal attack" and said "there is nothing that can justify the
officer punching a helpless woman on a freeway."
"This type of police
brutality happens too often with African-Americans and we have seen it time and
time again," Waters said in a statement. "Based on the video shown of
the patrol officer's forceful punching of Marlene Pinnock, this is enough to
demand his dismissal."
Her comments followed similar
expressions of outrage and demands for a full investigation over the last week
from civil rights activists and groups including the ACLU of Southern
California.
CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow met
with community leaders Tuesday and vowed to complete a comprehensive
investigation in weeks instead of the usual months. He says he was shocked by
the video and the department's reputation has been wounded.
The CHP said the woman was
walking on Interstate 10 west of downtown Los Angeles, endangering herself and
people in traffic, and the officer was trying to restrain her. The woman had
begun walking off the freeway but returned when the confrontation occurred.
The now-viral video shot July 1
by a passing freeway driver shows Marlene Pinnock, 51, being repeatedly punched
as she's straddled by the officer on the shoulder of the freeway.
The officer, who has one and a
half years on the job, hasn't been identified and is on desk duty pending
completion of the internal investigation.
Sgt. Denise Joslin said officials
are working in conjunction with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's
Office on the investigation. Members of the Los Angeles Police Department also
offered their support and assistance and the U.S. attorney's office was briefed
and consulted about the investigation, she said.
The investigation will
primarily focus on the video itself and the officer's reason for using force,
Farrow said.
Water said she will organize
women to speak out about police brutality again and "demand justice and
reforms that will create change within law enforcement to prevent this kind of
abuse from continuing to happen."
For now, Pinnock remains in the
hospital under a psychiatric hold. Her family found her covered in bruises, ice
packs and taking pain medication.
"I'm just so
overwhelmed," daughter Maisha Allums told reporters Tuesday. "I can't
believe a CHP officer that was supposed to protect my mom and help my mom beat
her like a — I can't even say like a dog because if it was a dog getting beat
like that he would have been in jail."
