In a case of “walking while black”, a Sacramento cop was caught on camera slamming and beating a black man for allegedly jaywalking.
The officer confronted Nandi Cain Jr. as he crossed an intersection and the situation quickly took a turn for the worse. After Cain and the officer exchanged words in the middle of the street, the officer throws the man to the ground and begins to punch him in the head.
The five-minute long video, posted to Facebook on Monday, was filmed by bystander Naomi Montaie who can be heard screaming at the officer, “Oh my God! Why’d you take him down like that? No! That was wrong!”
The officer called for backup and six additional cops arrived on the scene to arrest Cain for “unlawfully crossing the street”. On Tuesday, the Sacramento Police Department announced a formal investigation into the incident. According to the statement released by the department, the officer originally “attempted to detain a pedestrian for allegedly unlawfully crossing the street.”
The statement continues to say that Cain “questioned the officer’s validity to stop him at which time a violent encounter occurred between the officer and the pedestrian.”
For an unknown reason, the officer threw the pedestrian to the ground and began striking him in the face with his hand multiple times.
Cain was charged with resisting arrest but the charge has since been dropped and he has been released. Cain spoke with NBC affiliate KCRA and told them that he feared for his life.
I thought I was going to be like the next Trayvon Martin. I felt like they were going to draw a gun out and shoot me in my back or try to break my arms off or something.
It was supposedly for jaywalking. And then, when they put me in handcuffs and they were driving off, I heard them (talk) about they were going to get me for resisting arrest. But as you can see on the video clearly, I didn’t resist at all.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave as Internal Affairs investigates the incident. In addition to the bystander video, footage from a patrol car camera is also being analyzed.
The department states that the behavior in the video is considered “unacceptable conduct”.
Flip the page to see the encounter.
