‘Things got out of control’: Video of alleged beating by Santa Ana police spurs investigation

Santa Ana city officials have ordered an external probe of two police officers who are shown in a video circulating on social media throwing a suspect to the ground and beating him.

During a Tuesday night City Council meeting, Mayor Valerie Amezcua said the council voted during a nearly two-hour closed-door session to engage an independent investigator to review the officers’ body camera footage. If the investigation determines the officers caused the suspect, 28-year-old Florentino Junior Lopez, great bodily injury as a result of use of force, the city will release the names of the officers and the related camera audio and video.

The occasionally shaky video posted on social media shows the officers holding Lopez against the hood of a police car.

“All of the sudden, things got out of control,” said Lopez’s attorney, John Kremer.

The footage was captured by Lopez’s younger sister who was outside with her brother smoking on their front lawn Thursday night when the two officers arrived and summoned Lopez out into the street.

After Lopez says something to the officers, he is yanked to the ground and punched repeatedly. The incident ended when two other officers arrived to restore order, at which point Lopez was handcuffed, Kremer said Monday evening.

During the Tuesday night meeting, several council members publicly apologized to Lopez and his family for the incident.

“No member of the Santa Ana community should be brutalized by a police officer,” said Councilmember Johnathan Ryan Hernandez.

“I stand with the family who feels torn apart right now, and I stand with the entire Santa Ana community that I represent as a council member that feels afraid of this Police Department,” Hernandez added.

The incident took place around 9:30 p.m. Thursday outside the Santa Ana home where Lopez lives with his parents and sister, according to the attorney. Kremer says the video “speaks for itself” and shows excessive use of force by the officers.

Mayor Amezcua said in a social media post that the “matter is under investigation and details cannot be shared that could compromise the process.”

“However, I support transparency and a thorough investigation into this matter,” Amezcua wrote Sunday. “Remember, there are officers who are professional and we cannot judge all officers by one’s actions, but I will continue to monitor this investigation.”

Lopez, who works in construction, was on probation at the time of the incident, Kremer said. Earlier this year, his client served a 10-day sentence for carrying a loaded weapon, resisting arrest and for being involved in a hit-and-run incident.

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Man thrown to ground during arrest prompts investigation

Video of man thrown to the ground and beaten by officers during his recent arrest. (Alexzander Lopez)

Santa Ana Police Chief Robert Rodriguez said in a statement Sunday that his department is “conducting a thorough review of the incident, including body worn camera footage, reports, and the circumstances surrounding the arrest.”

“I have personally reviewed the video and want to assure our community that we take every use of force seriously,” his statement read.

Kremer said his client, who was hit on both sides of his face, is facing charges of resisting an officer and smoking near a school and was cited for being a pedestrian on a roadway under the California Vehicle Code.

Lopez’s bail was set at $20,000, Kremer said. His next court date is set for Oct. 13 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Councilman Hernandez also called on Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer to drop all charges against Lopez.