The San Luis Obispo Police Department came under viral scrutiny on July 17 when an unnamed local spectator livestreamed an officer using force on a restrained man.
Posted on YouTube by a channel named SLO County Observer, the video shows three police officers grabbing and holding down a man on the side of a road. Soon after, one of the officers elbowed him in the head three times.
“You have warrants. You’re under arrest,” said an officer in the video.
“For what? You haven’t read me my rights,” replied the man.
Later, the officer told the man he would punch him in the face if he didn’t let go of the handcuffs. After the man supposedly didn’t comply, the officer repeatedly hit him in the head. The officers finally placed him in their car and drove away.
SLOPD later confirmed to New Times that the suspect is named Justin O’Brien. The Sheriff’s Office booking report identified him as a 29-year-old who was booked in county jail on July 17 at 2:40 p.m.
“The call for service began as officers were dispatched to a traffic hazard (report of a man dancing and yelling in the roadway) in the 800 block of Froom Ranch. The man had multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest from another county. During the interaction with responding officers, he resisted arrest and force was used,” Christine Wallace, the neighborhood outreach manager, told New Times via email.
Wallace added that O’Brien received medical care at the hospital before being taken into custody. His booking report detailed that he had four charges in San Bernardino County, each with a bond value of $160,000. These outstanding warrants include being under the influence of controlled substances, theft of personal property, and obstructing or resisting a public officer. His latest charge is a felony in SLO County for resisting an executive officer. In total, O’Brien’s bonds amount to $690,000.
SLOPD issued a public statement declaring that the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while the department investigates the use-of-force incident. Additionally, in the video his arm is seen to go limp soon after striking O’Brien. Wallace said that he sustained an injury and received medical care.
According to SLOPD’s use-of-force policy, the perspective of a “reasonable officer” present on the scene at the time of the incident would be used to determine if the force used was justified.
“Any peace officer may use objectively reasonable force to effect an arrest, to prevent escape, or to overcome resistance,” the policy stated.
After some officers drove away with O’Brien, the video captured a policeman approaching the SLO County Observer to ask if he wanted to sign a witness statement since the incident was recorded. He refused.
“Why do they need my footage though?” the narrator asked his audience. “They have body-camera footage, so I’m not sure why mine is so important.” Δ
This article appears in Jul 21-31, 2022.