Viral TikTok shows California police officer punching a woman

Aaron Tolentino
·2 min read
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UPDATE: More details were added to reflect additional information VPD provided one day after the incident.

(KRON) — A TikTok video showing a Vallejo police officer punching a woman is beginning to go viral. The 50-second video, which has over half a million views, shows the end of a police chase after a burglary of a Vallejo business.

A business near Gateway Plaza Shopping Center was burglarized on Friday, the Vallejo Police Department (VPD) told KRON4. That prompted a pursuit in which the suspect was driving recklessly in a blue Nissan Altima and crashed into a truck in the area of Auto Mall Pkwy and Admiral Callaghan Lane.

The woman resisted arrest and tried to escape from police, authorities said.

Around the 10-second mark of the video (watch above), the officer is seen pulling the woman out of her car and slamming her against the truck. Shortly after, the officer is seen punching the woman at least once.

Thousands in Merchandise Stolen That Led To Pursuit

Friday’s events began when approximately $2,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from an unnamed business on the 1100 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane, according to VPD. The Nissan Altima was seen leaving with those items.

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Officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver refused to yield. Police added the driver ran a red light and collided with two vehicles — one that had a mother and her two four-year-old sons inside. The mother suffered moderate injuries, and the children were not hurt.

After the collision, the passenger of the Nissan ran away — only to be apprehended a short time later. However, the driver was not able to escape as the officer opened her car door in order to make an arrest, police said. The events that follow can be seen in the video above.

VPD said the woman actively continued to resist arrest, which prompted the officer to punch her.

“Once the suspect was on the ground, she continued to actively resist, pivoting her body and gauging the officer’s arm in an attempt to escape, prompting him to strike her once to gain immediate compliance,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “Thus, the officer was able to detain the suspect.”

Both the woman and the officer were injured in the incident. Police said the suspect was injured from the car crash, and the officer was injured from trying to arrest the woman.

The driver and the passenger of the Nissan were both taken into custody, according to VPD. They also stole another $1,000 worth of merchandise from the same business on Sept. 26.

Records show the driver was on felony probation for grand theft and shoplifting, police said. She was also arrested on Oct. 4 for allegedly stealing $30,00 worth of merchandise from another business.

As of Friday night, the TikTok has garnered more than 467,000 views, 49,000 likes and 2,400 comments.

The incident will be reviewed under the department’s use of force policy.

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