A video spreading on Instagram showing two Santa Ana police officers beating a man they already had bent over on the hood of their car is raising growing demands for accountability and questions if officers needed to use that level of force to arrest the man.
It comes in a town that often faces concerns about police using excessive force and where the Santa Ana police union has typically been the biggest spender on local elections.
It also comes after elected officials allocated roughly $166 million to the police department this summer after slashing over $11 million in spending in other areas to balance the budget.
The video of the Oct. 1 arrest shows the man bent over the hood of the police cruiser with his arms behind his back, arguing with an officer who then throws him to the street.
The officer then punches the man in the head repeatedly as another officer joins in and holds the man’s legs down until ultimately two more police officers show up and help restrain the man.
Police Chief Robert Rodriguez said he personally reviewed the video and the matter is being investigated.
“Our Department is conducting a thorough review of the incident, including body worn camera footage, reports and the circumstances surrounding the arrest,” reads a statement from Rodriguez posted on the department’s Facebook Sunday.
“It is important that we allow that process to take place and let the facts guide our conclusions.”
Natalie Garcia, a spokeswoman for the police department, echoed Rodriguez’s comments while revealing the last name of the suspect.
“Our Department is reviewing all the available information, including body-worn camera footage, police reports, and the circumstances leading up to Mr. Lopez’s arrest on October 1st. As with all use-of-force incidents, we take these matters seriously and will let the facts guide our review and conclusions,” she wrote in a Monday morning email.
City officials, including Rodriguez, Garcia and City Manager Alvaro Nuñez, did not respond to questions Monday morning as to what the man was arrested for and who the officers are.
They also did not answer questions on who would conduct the investigation, what the process will entail and if the findings of that probe would be made public.
Growing Calls for Accountability
City Councilman Ben Vazquez, who is running for reelection, said he was astonished that kind of violence was unleashed on a resident and both Rodriguez & Nuñez should be held responsible.
“I hope that would not be part of our policy to allow to be thrown to the floor and punched in the face multiple times and if it is allowable through our policy, then we have to look into it.,” he said in a Monday morning phone interview, adding city officials need to spend more on police oversight.
“Ultimately, we’re responsible if these things continue to happen, as we’ve seen people killed in Santa Ana.”
Vazquez said city officials need to intervene.
“We need for this not to happen again, we need for our community to feel safe so unless the council acts, they’re really just sitting on their hands and waiting for it to happen again and for the results to be the same,” he said.
Councilman David Penaloza, who is running for State Assembly and is endorsed by the police union, said he was disturbed by the video and was disappointed how the man was being treated regardless of what he was arrested for.
“I would hope that he’s held accountable and potentially fired. I mean, regardless of what crimes this guy committed, we have a criminal justice system and he should go through it and face the consequences for his crimes and be held accountable and be in jail if it warrants that,” Penaloza said in a Monday morning phone interview.
“But it doesn’t give any police officer the right to beat him the way he was beaten.”
Penaloza said he supports an outside investigation and both he and Vazquez said the incident should go to the city’s police oversight commission.
“No police officer should act like a jury, and if you’re a police officer in our city and you’re allowing words like that to trigger you that easily – I mean, that’s also upsetting and that police officer should definitely look at changing careers and be held accountable before that,” Penaloza said.
The rest of the city council including Mayor Valerie Amezcua did not respond to a request for comment on the Oct. 1 arrest near Jackson Street and fifth street.
John Kachirisky, president of the Santa Ana police union, said in a Monday statement the police officers association supports an investigation.
“We support a thorough, fair and unbiased investigation that is based on the facts and evidence of the case,” reads the statement, deferring other questions on the issue to the police department.
In an Instagram post, Amezcua said she immediately contacted Rodriguez and Nuñez after she learned about the incident and the matter was under investigation.
“Details cannot be shared that could compromise the process. However, I support transparency and a thorough investigation into this matter,” she wrote in a Sunday post.
“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.”
Amezcua is running for reelection next month and is endorsed by the Santa Ana Police Officers’ Association, facing off against Dwayne Shipp, president of the OC Heritage Council and a Community Development commissioner, and Dan Shimell, an attorney
Both Shipp and Shimell also commented on the arrest on Instagram, saying officers are not above the law and there needs to be accountability.
Shipp compared the arrest and the video to the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles Police Officers in 1991 after a high speed police pursuit. The officers were found not guilty of excessive force a year later – acquittals that sparked the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.
“The video sent to me is deeply disturbing and deserves a full, transparent investigation. Trust breaks down when people see abuse and no accountability,” he wrote in his own Sunday Instagram post.
“A badge comes with responsibility. It does not put anyone above the law.”
Shimell said police officers don’t have the right to hurt people because they “mouth off” and they need to be accountable for their actions.
“It’s disturbing to me to see someone treated in this way by one of our officers with an apparent sense of impunity. Enough is enough. This has got to stop happening in our city. Our officers need to understand that they are not above the law,” he said in an Instagram video Sunday.
“The fact that we have other officers on the force that do behave professionally has no bearing on this particular incident.”
Santa Ana Police Controversies
It’s not the first time the department has faced scrutiny and concerns over excessive use of force.
Santa Ana Police and city officials faced intense criticism last year over the police’s response to demonstrations against ICE and federal immigration enforcement, with residents, a handful of council members and one OC Supervisor – calling the police officers’ actions excessive.
City officials and the department also faced criticism over the police killing of Noe Rodriguez in 2024 who was carrying a toy gun.
An investigation by the state’s department of justice found insufficient evidence to support criminal prosecution of the officers involved.
At their 5:30 p.m. meeting Tuesday, Santa Ana City Council members are expected to decide on amending their contract with the police union to strip the city manager from having the final say on disciplinary appeal hearings and leaving it up to an arbitrator.
Kachirisky said the change could mean less lawsuits against the city.
“Binding arbitration means a neutral expert, chosen jointly by both sides, has the final say. That cuts both ways. If the City proves its case, the discipline stands, and the Association is bound by the result just as the City is,” reads his statement.
“It’s a common standard in public-sector contracts across California. It also means faster, final answers and fewer lawsuits while saving taxpayer dollars.”
Officials also expected to decide on an up to nearly $176,000 three-year contract with Lexipol to make recommendations on police policies and train officers.
Both items are on the meeting agenda’s consent calendar – a list of items usually decided on by the council in a block vote without much discussion unless pulled by elected officials or residents for a greater debate.
Meanwhile, Penaloza said he didn’t know how long the investigation into the incident would take but said it shouldn’t be long.
“It’s all on video,” he said.
“It doesn’t take rocket science to see that that was not okay.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org.
