LA MESA, Calif. — Dozens of protestors took the streets Friday evening in La Mesa to peacefully demonstrate against a confrontation captured on video between a La Mesa police officer and a young black man.
News 8's Richard Allyn reports on the local protestors' perspective on the national scene as well as the governor's response.
La Mesa demonstration following video showing confrontation between an officer and a black man
On Thursday, La Mesa police told News 8 the incident is under review, but Amaurie Johnson and his friend, who recorded the video, shared their version of events with News 8.
“My friends live in these apartments. He’s [the officer] saying, ‘are you waiting for the bus?’ I said, no. I’m waiting for my friends,” said Johnson.
Henry Lieng, Johnson’s friend, said, “when we pulled up it kind of proved that he had a purpose here and he was waiting outside for us. That's all it was.”
The video, posted on Instagram and Youtube Wednesday night, shows the encounter between the officer and Johnson at the Grossmont Trolley Station.
The nearly six-minute video begins Johnson and the officer are arguing while standing face to face. The officer then pushes him into a sitting position on a concrete bench and holds onto his arm.
What led up to the encounter is not shown in the video.
The police officer, whose name has not been released, was put on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to the La Mesa Police Department.
"We immediately began a review of the incident to find out what happened," the department said in a statement Thursday. "The La Mesa Police Department takes all allegations of misconduct very seriously and asks that any member of the public with information or video regarding this incident contact us at 619-667-1400."
La Mesa Police Department has not released additional details about the arrest.
