When video surfaced this past November of two Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies brutally beating a man with fists and batons in the Mission District, many were immediately shocked. But months have gone by and not only have the two deputies not been charged with any wrongdoing, but CBS 5 reports that the two deputies, Luis Santamaria and Paul Weiber, are currently on paid administrative leave.
“The beating went on for at least 15 minutes," San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi told the news channel. "What you can see is continuously beating and you can hear the batons hitting against bone and flesh and Mr. Petrov screaming."
The surveillance camera that captured the scene records in ten-second segments, with gaps in between, so the beating is even longer than the video depicts.
Petrov had allegedly led officers on a high speed chase across the Bay Bridge, crashed into two police cars, and injured one deputy all before the deputies caught up with him. Despite those allegations, the Alameda County District Attorney is reportedly not pursuing charges against Petrov.
Adachi, for his part, is waiting for the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to bring charges against the deputies.
"It’s one of the most horrendous beating videos I have seen," he told CBS, "even worse than the Rodney King case in many ways and yet there has been no action.”
Previously: Video: Sheriff's Deputies Brutally Beat Suspect In Mission District