SOUTH GATE, Calif. -- A video that appears to show a federal law enforcement officer grabbing a woman’s cellphone and then slamming it to the ground in South Gate, Calif., over the weekend is under investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed Tuesday.
The woman was standing just a few feet from the men and appeared to be saying something to them. In the video, which was posted to YouTube on Sunday, a woman appeared to be using her cellphone to record a group of men officers as they were talking in front of a home.
She was saying, “I do not feel safe with you” and “You are making me feel unsafe and I have a right to be here” and “You need to stay away from me, I don’t feel safe with you closer to me,” among other statements, the Los Angeles Times reported.
One of the men then walks toward the woman and is seen lunging at her once he is close enough to grab the object from her hands.
He then slams the item to the ground and appears to kick or stomp on it.
The man — who never appears to say anything to the woman — then walks away from her to join the other men in front of the home.
The woman picks up something from the ground and is then heard saying, “Did you record that?” to the person shooting the incident from across the street.
According to KTLA, the Marshals Service issued a statement Tuesday confirming the incident was under investigation.
“The U.S. Marshals Service is aware of video footage of an incident that took place Sunday in Los Angeles County involving a Deputy U.S. Marshal. The agency is currently reviewing the incident,” the statement read.
The statement did not explain why federal agents were in the area.
