LOS ANGELES — The FBI has opened two criminal investigations into violent incidents involving Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in Palmdale and Lancaster, both of which sparked criticism after video footage came to light in recent weeks.
According to an email obtained by the Los Angeles Times, federal authorities have already visited the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department headquarters to take documents needed for their probes. Department officials on Friday confirmed the visit and said they plan to cooperate.
One of the investigations will focus on a case involving a Palmdale deputy who punched a woman in the face last year while she held her baby in her arms. The other will center on a case involving a Lancaster deputy who threw a woman to the ground by her neck last month in a WinCo parking lot after she started recording an arrest with her cellphone.
