California cop filmed kicking teen shoplifter in face, slapping

US News

By Steve Janoski

A California police officer filmed kicking a teenager suspected of shoplifting in the face has been charged with assault – three years after a viral in-store melee.

Gonzalo Zendejas, 39, faces one count of assault under color of authority for the June 2021 beating, which occurred after he and other police officers were called to a store Dick's Sporting Goods in Glendale following a report that the 17-year-old suspect had stolen items. elsewhere in the Glendale Galleria shopping center, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Three plainclothes police officers – including one in uniform – lunged at the teenager and rained blows on him as he was pinned to the ground, video of the incident first obtained by CBS broadcasts.

The Glendale Police Department placed all four officers on administrative leave following the shocking attack.

But Zendejas — who at one point in the video kicked the juveniles in the face — is the only one still standing, according to a department spokesperson.

The other three returned to work after being cleared, the spokesperson said.

“Although police officers face an extremely difficult and demanding job when working to protect our communities, this responsibility does not excuse actions that endanger others or undermine the public trust,” the district attorney said George Gascón in a press release.

“This incident constitutes a serious violation of the duty to serve with integrity and respect.”

Zendejas faces up to three years in prison if convicted, the Times said. He has not yet appeared in court.

Stolen merchandise was found on the young man, who was charged with larceny and resisting a police officer by force following the June 5 incident, officers said at the time.

But he doesn't seem to have resisted when the cops attack him.

“The policeman who wasn't even there at the beginning, who realized this situation, and as soon as he got there, he just decided, 'I'm going to kick this kid in the face.' ” a witness told CBS. Los Angeles at the time.

The teenager was reportedly injured in the head and eyes after being beaten.

Meanwhile, the suspect's sister said she couldn't get the images out of her head.

“It was really hard to watch,” Melissa Navarette told CBS Los Angeles at the time. “We were traumatized. We still have all the videos stuck in our head.

Glendale police officials told ABC 7 earlier this week that its internal investigation “remains ongoing” as the outcome depends on the conclusion of the criminal investigation.

But he has already handed over all the necessary reports, statements and videos to the local prosecutor because he wanted to be “completely transparent and contribute to a full and thorough investigation of the facts and evidence surrounding the incident.”