California cop filmed kicking teen in face and squeezing his neck as boy begs for mercy and ultimately charged

A three-year investigation stemming from a short video recorded by a witness led to a felony charge this month against a Southern California police officer.

Glendale Police Officer Gonzalo Zendejas was charged June 3 with assault by a public official over a video showing the uniformed officer kicking a juvenile suspect in the face who was on the ground and punched in the face by two other plainclothes police officers while a fourth plainclothes policeman kept his legs down.

The incident took place on June 5, 2021 at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store in the Glendale Galleria shopping center. This is the same mall where Glendale police arrested “Straight Outta Compton” actor Darris Love after they said he matched the description of a burglary suspect in 2018. The actor has since filed a complaint.

The young man who was beaten and kicked also matched the description of a man seen shoplifting in another part of the mall, police said, but it is unclear for the moment if he has already been found guilty. The three other officers who hit and restrained the teen have not been charged.

Glendale police said in a statement that they “immediately initiated an internal investigation” after the incident, placing the four officers on paid administrative leave. Online records show Zendeja, who began working for Glendale police in 2012, continued to earn an annual salary of about $150,000 in 2022 and 2023.

The only difference from previous years was that he was unable to collect overtime pay while on administrative leave, which amounted to approximately $25,000 in 2020, $35,000 in 2019 and $39,000 $ in 2018.

But now, after three years of paid administrative leave, he faces up to three years in county jail if convicted, according to the California Penal Code. The video was only made public after Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced the charges on Monday.

“This incident constitutes a serious violation of the duty to serve with integrity and respect,” the prosecutor said in a statement. “Our office’s commitment is to ensure that justice is served and that all individuals, regardless of their role or position, are held accountable for their actions.

The teen’s name has not been released, but CBS Los Angeles spoke to his family, who said he suffered injuries to his eyes and head.

“It was really hard to watch,” the teen’s sister, Melissa Navarette, told a reporter. “We were traumatized. We have, like, the whole video stuck in our head.

CBS Los Angeles also spoke to the man who recorded the incident and whose video led to the felony charge.

“The police officer who wasn’t even there at the beginning, who rushed into this situation, and as soon as he got there, he decided I was going to kick this kid in the face,” said declared the witness, whose name was not made public.

The video shows one of the officers punching him in the face while the teen was lying on his back, ordering him to “turn on his face” while he and the other officers held the teen on the ground, preventing him from turning around. on his face.

” I can not breathe ! I can not breathe ! I can not breathe ! the teen begs as Zendejas places his hand on his neck.

Glendale police said the incident began after receiving a call about a “burglary in progress involving multiple suspects inside a Glendale Galleria store,” according to the statement released by police on June 3.

“Officers responded and located a suspect matching the description and ultimately contacted that suspect inside Dick’s Sporting Goods,” said Sgt. Christian Hauptmann told CBS Los Angeles.

Glendale police said they placed the four officers on paid leave and contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office to investigate the incident.

“From the outset of this investigation, the Glendale Police Department has provided the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office with all reports, statements, audio and video recordings to assist in its process. This was done to be completely transparent and contribute to a full and thorough investigation into the facts and evidence surrounding the incident,” Glendale police said in their statement.

Police said they recovered the stolen merchandise from the teen and he was charged with larceny and resisting a police officer by force, but the only force used in the video came from the cops.

In 2020, Glendale became the first city in California to apologize for its history as a “sunset town” where black people were targeted for being in public after sunset.