Arrest at gunpoint under review

Tactics of deputy who held a firearm to a Black man’s head ‘are not taught by LASD.’

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is reviewing an incident in Lancaster in which bystander video footage captured a deputy holding his gun to the head of a detained young Black man who lay facedown and did not appear to be resisting.

Video posted on Facebook of the incident, which occurred during daytime April 30 next to a gas station at Division Street and Avenue J, has drawn outrage among some residents of the Antelope Valley, where the Sheriff’s Department has recently faced criticism for delays in complying with a 2015 settlement agreement to improve its policing.

The department has said the deputy was detaining an armed suspect who had a loaded handgun with a highcapacity magazine. But it has acknowledged that the actions of the deputy did not follow proper procedure.

“The tactics used during the arrest of the suspect are not taught by LASD and will be reviewed,” the department said in a statement.

Officials said the deputy was working a patrol shift when he saw what he believed to be a drug sale.

The suspect, whom the department has identified as 22-year-old Kennathan Williams, immediately ran from the deputy.

The deputy, according to the department, saw an outline of a handgun on Williams’ body and followed him to a gas station.

After the deputy ordered Williams to stop, Williams lay on the ground and was detained at gunpoint, officials said.

A 1-minute, 45-second video recorded by a bystander shows the deputy sitting on Williams as he lay facedown on the pavement, with one leg slung across his upper back. The barrel of the deputy’s gun appears to touch or nearly touch the man’s head.

Williams’ arms are extended on the ground, and his hands are empty. He does not seem to be resisting.

Another deputy standing in front of the pair — facing bystanders — brandishes a gun that he points downward. People in the crowd shout, “Handcuff him and get off of him.” One man yells, “Why you still got the gun to his head?”

Other deputies arrive and handcuff Williams while the deputy holding the gun keeps it trained on him for several seconds.

The video shows the deputy holding his gun to Williams’ head for about a minute. It’s unclear how long he was detained before the start of the video.

On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Department issued a statement saying it was aware of the video of the incident circulating on social media and “has directed an in-depth review of our policy and tactics.” It told The Times that Williams was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of a loaded firearm and felony possession of a concealed firearm.

The Times could not immediately reach Williams for comments. Arrest records indicate he has been released.

Miguel Coronado, who chairs the Lancaster sheriff ’s station’s community advisory committee, said that dozens of people had contacted him about the video and that the department issued its statement after the committee met with officials and asked about the incident.

“The callousness,” Coronado said of the deputy’s conduct in the video. The suspect was “already restrained. He’s not moving. He’s not resisting. You can see he’s not kicking his legs. He’s not fighting the officers.”