by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:

Elk Grove, CA — The Elk Grove Police Department made a move of transparency this month and released graphic body camera footage of one of their officers stomping an entirely compliant man’s head into the pavement. The department also fired the officer involved. However, they stopped short of charging him with a crime, despite clear video evidence of a crime being committed.

“When we have a critical incident within our community, we want to share as much information with the community as much as possible, said Chief Timothy Albright in the video. “The trust from our community is critical to our success and that trust is built through transparency.”

Elk Grove police officer Bryan Schmidt was fired this month for excessive force after video captured him stomping the head of a surrendering suspect in an incident that took place last June.

“It’s an excessive force, a force that in unreasonable,” Albright said.

The department’s own internal investigation found that the suspect, identified as Juan Mendoza, 23, was complying with everything the officers were yelling at him. Despite this fact, Schmidt savagely stomped his head into the pavement.

According to police, on June 5, 2019 at 8:43 p.m., Elk Grove officers were reportedly called to an alleged robbery and assault in progress at a Burlington Coat Factory. When officers arrived, they found a half-naked Mendoza walking from the building.

As the video shows, Jaun is walking out of the building when police tell him to get on the ground and show his hands. Juan immediately complies and does exactly that.

For an unknown reason, Schmidt is seen from multiple angles running up to Mendoza and stomping the shirtless man’s head into the pavement. His body appears to go limp after the initial stomp but Schmidt keeps kicking him about the body, yelling at him to put his hands behind his back.

Schmidt later mutes his camera microphone for 13 seconds as he continues to talk to other officers at the scene.

“We have to evaluate what was the level of resistance that called for the level of force, and in this case, those didn’t balance,” Albright said and reported the kick was not within department policy.

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