Bakersfield Police Department Chief Lyle Martin ordered an internal investigation of an alleged beating of a 19-year-old girl by an officer, but the move covers after the local NAACP released a video of the allegations that went viral.
In a two-paragraph news release, the police department said that Martin would have internal investigation matter.
Tatyana Hargrove, 19, said she was beaten by a police officer who thought she was a man during a June 18 incident when police said they were looking for a male suspect armed with a machete. In a video, which has garnered more than 4 million views on Facebook, Hargrove said that she was stopped by police at gunpoint and was grabbed and punched by the officer before a police dog was turned loose on her. A police report of the incident, obtained by the news media, showed that police met with Hargrove, who was riding a bicycle, and took action when she wouldn’t comply with their commands.
When police said they were looking for a male suspect, Hargrove said she tried to explain she was a woman, but officers didn’t believe her. A protest march is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Liberty Bell in downtown.
