Long Beach video: New recording shows more of police encounter

Surveillance video taken from a Long Beach business shows police striking a man at least six times with batons, which was not captured in a YouTube video of the interaction that has drawn scrutiny in recent days.

The video, which Long Beach police released to The Times, begins at an unknown time before the 4 1/2-minute YouTube clip. The surveillance footage shows the man--identified as 46-year-old Porfirio Santos-Lopez--appearing to punch at officers before he falls to the ground, apparently after being Tasered.

The footage then shows two officers hitting him at least six times with batons.

The video posted to YouTube—taken by a witness—begins a short time later and depicts another round of baton strikes. Santos-Lopez is seen lying on his back as one officer hits him six times in the legs, with Santos-Lopez sometimes kicking between blows. A Taser can be heard, although it is not clear exactly how many times it was used.

The YouTube video of Monday’s incident has raised questions about the officers’ actions. Police training experts who reviewed the recording were divided about whether it amounted to excessive force.

Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell said he understands the community concern about the video and vowed a vigorous investigation.

“It is too early to make any judgments.… The YouTube video is certainly disturbing,” the chief said. “Any time you see someone hit with the baton, there is level of discomfort.”

Officers responded to Locust Avenue and South Street about 6 p.m. Monday after receiving multiple 911 calls about a fight outside a liquor store, Long Beach Police Sgt. Aaron Eaton said.

Surveillance footage showed a man later identified as Santos-Lopez hitting another man in the head.

Eaton said Santos-Lopez acted irrationally when first approached by police and at one point punched the asphalt and asked an officer to “kill him.”

Maria Ruiz, 29, said she was cutting hair at a nearby beauty salon when she saw three or four officers trying to speak to the man. She doesn’t speak English but said it looked like the officers and the man were arguing.

Ruiz said a client told her that at one point, the man yelled “Shoot me!” to police.

“It looked like they were trying to arrest him, but he didn’t want them to,” Ruiz said. “He tried to kick and punch one of the officers and that’s when they took him down.”

Eaton said Santos-Lopez refused orders to roll on his stomach, prompting officers to use batons and a Taser as “tools for us to use and get a combative subject into custody.”

At one point, the officers can be heard commanding Santos-Lopez to “roll over,” with the man responding “Why?” But most of what the officers and Santos-Lopez said is unclear.

Police officials said the baton blows were delivered to Santos-Lopez’s arms, legs and possibly his torso. The department trains officers to avoid the head, neck, throat, kidneys and groin areas, which could result in permanent damage.

Santos-Lopez was eventually taken into custody and taken to Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, where he remained Wednesday. Santos-Lopez suffered a broken right arm, a partially collapsed left lung and needed stitches in both legs, his live-in girlfriend said. Police said they were unaware of the lung injury.

Eaton said beer cans were found near the scene, and after his arrest Santos-Lopez told officers he had used methamphetamine beforehand. His girlfriend denied he used drugs but said he had been showing signs of mental illness in recent months.

Lee Ann Hernandez, 59—who has dated Santos-Lopez for four years and refers to him as her husband—said their family had hired an attorney.

“They had no right to beat him up like that,” she said. “They don’t need to be doing that to someone like that.”

The officers involved remain on regular duty, Eaton said.

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kate.mather@latimes.com

ruben.vives@latimes.com

richard.winton@latimes.com