A San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy has been placed on administrative leave after a video shows him repeatedly punching and kneeing a suspect in Hesperia on Tuesday, March 26, officials said.
The use of force occurred shortly before 5 p.m. near Main Street and East Avenue, after 36-year-old Christian Cardenas Alonso from Adelanto was pulled over for a traffic stop. Alonso was identified as a potential suspect in an armed robbery that occurred Sunday on the 1600 block of Main, near his shop, Califa Tattoo, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Alonso refused to leave his car and resisted arrest, leading to the use of force, the department said. Video footage obtained by Fox 11 News shows three deputies holding Alonso down on the pavement by his car, and at least one yelling, “Stop fighting!” while one deputy knees him in the rib area and another begins punching him in the head.
A fourth deputy walks over and holds Alonso down while the deputy who was previously punching him begins kneeing the man in the head and face area multiple times, before punching him again.
“I have been made aware of the use of force that occurred during the arrest of a suspected armed robbery suspect,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in the release. “The use of force is currently under investigation, which includes the review of all body-worn cameras. The deputy has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”
The stolen property was discovered inside Alonso’s trunk during a search of the car, and a search warrant was served at his tattoo shop, authorities said, where they encountered several gang members who attempted to flee. A firearm, ammunition and gang markings were found inside Alonso’s business, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Details on any injuries Alonso suffered were not released.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story, and its headline, said the suspect was in handcuffs when kneed and punched. He was not, a department spokesman says.
