Santa Ana – Officials are reviewing a confrontation between two officers and a 28-year-old man that left him handcuffed after he was repeatedly punched.
The silence of a Thursday night in Santa Ana was shattered by a confrontation that ended with 28-year-old Florentino Junior Lopez pinned against a police cruiser and. ultimately. on the ground. By Monday. a shaky. smartphone-recorded video of the encounter had surfaced online. forcing a departmental investigation into what exactly transpired on the lawn of the Lopez family home.
At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lopez and his sister were standing on their front lawn when two officers arrived and summoned him into the street. What began as a conversation quickly disintegrated. According to attorney John Kremer. who represents Lopez. his client was held against the hood of a police car before being yanked to the pavement and struck repeatedly.
“All of the sudden, things got out of control,” Kremer said. The footage shows the escalation, which only ceased when two additional officers arrived to restore order. By the end of the struggle, Lopez—a construction worker—was handcuffed. His sister, who captured the incident on video, witnessed the entire event from their home.
Mayor Valerie Amezcua addressed the incident on social media Sunday, promising transparency while urging caution. “Remember. there are officers who are professional and we cannot judge all officers by one’s actions. ” she wrote. confirming that an active investigation is underway. Police Chief Robert Rodriguez stated he has personally reviewed the video. adding that the department’s review will encompass body-worn camera footage and official reports from that night.
For those involved, the fallout is immediate. Lopez. who was on probation following a 10-day sentence earlier this year for charges including resisting arrest and carrying a loaded weapon. now faces new citations. He is charged with resisting an officer and smoking near a school. and was cited for being a pedestrian on a roadway under the California Vehicle Code. He was held on $20,000 bail.
As the investigation proceeds, the evidence remains a point of contention. Kremer maintains the video of his client being hit on both sides of his face speaks for itself. The legal process is slated to continue on Oct. 13, when Lopez is scheduled for a court appearance at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
Santa Ana police police brutality investigation Florentino Junior Lopez Santa Ana news police use of force