 An attempt by a Sacramento police officer to stop a man for jaywalking devolved into violence after the man refused to comply and the officer tackled him to the ground and punched him in the face several times – much of it caught on video – prompting a criminal investigation of the officer’s conduct. “The videos of this incident portray actions and behavior that we would consider unacceptable conduct by a Sacramento police officer,” said a department news release. That pedestrian, Nandi Cain Jr., was arrested on a charge of resisting arrest, which was dropped on Tuesday. The two exchanged words and the pedestrian removed his jacket, "challenging the officer to fight," the statement read. At that point, the officer charged cain to take him into custody. "For an unknown reason, the officer threw the pedestrian to the ground and began striking him in the face with his hand multiple times," read a statement released by police. Heinlein said the officer, whose name he could not release, was a two-year veteran with the department who worked as a patrol officer. The police department statement says an investigation began after officials watched the officer's in-car camera of the incident.
– A video taken from a police dashboard camera on Monday shows a white police officer approaching a black man, whom he accuses of jaywalking earlier in Sacramento, Calif. What the officer does next is "unacceptable" and has sparked a criminal investigation, according to the Sacramento Police Department. "For an unknown reason, the officer threw the pedestrian to the ground and began striking him in the face with his hand multiple times," police say, per the Sacramento Bee. In a statement, police add the pedestrian, who was on the sidewalk when the officer approached him, refused the officer's requests to stop, then removed his jacket, "challenging the officer to a fight," per USA Today. But Nandi Cain Jr. tells KCRA a different story, arguing he took off his jacket only to show the officer he was unarmed. "I thought I was going to be like the next Trayvon Martin," says Cain, who says the officer had his hand on his gun as he approached. "I felt like they were going to draw a gun out and shoot me in my back or try to break my arms off or something." He adds he repeatedly asked the officer "if he had any reason or probable cause for pulling me over and he wouldn't really give me a straight answer." No matter the reason for the officer's actions, the department says they "are disturbing and [do] not appear to be reasonable based upon the circumstances." The officer, a two-year veteran with the department, has been placed on administrative leave since the incident, which a witness also recorded. Cain, initially jailed on suspicion of resisting arrest, was released Tuesday due to "insufficient grounds to file a complaint," police say.