WTF! How's This Unarmed Civilian A Threat To Cop Who Beat Him To A Bloody Pulp?!

Here we go again…

Witnesses just filmed a Vallejo, California police officer violently restraining a suspect and beating him with fists, elbows, and even a flashlight. Many are outraged, calling this a blatant case of excessive force.

The incident occurred outside a gas station. Officers were responding to a complaint that a man was threatening people and making finger gun gestures.

The first officer on scene, who is as of yet unidentified, appears to pin the suspect on the ground, then strike him repeatedly with what looks like a flashlight. Even after another officer gets involved to help restrain the resisting suspect, the first officer can be seen taking three extra swings.

If you listen closely, you can hear witnesses in the background of the tape, most of whom are insisting that the cop is being too violent; one voice is distinctly yelling “police brutality.”

After reporters hit the scene, one of the gas station attendants said he had mixed feelings on the matter. “I was scared,” he admitted, “like, what if [the suspect] really has a gun on him? And what if he pulls out a gun and starts shooting people?"

But at the same time, “I would never expect [the officer] to react like that. I would have never expected him to be that kind of cop."

The suspect was charged with evading police – he apparently tried to run before the videos started, but can clearly be seen sitting down and surrendering before the cop catches him – as well as being under the influence. The officer in question has been put on leave, per procedure, until the investigation is complete.

The Vallejo Police Department promptly released a statement on the matter: “It's important that no one make any assumptions without having all the available facts. Just like anyone else, officers are innocent until proven guilty."