A viral video showing numerous heavily-armed police officers training their weapons on an unarmed woman has prompted a response from the Los Angeles Police Department, which says there is more to the situation than meets the eye.
The police officers swooped on a dark-colored Lexus in Inglewood, California, on Monday. Footage filmed by a passerby shows the moment at least five cops carrying firearms ordered a woman out of a stationary car near Ladera Heights. Six police vehicles can also be seen in the 45-second video clip, which quickly went viral after it was posted on Twitter.
The video has been viewed more than 1.7 million times. Numerous commenters, and the eyewitness, questioned why so many police officers drew their guns despite the woman being unarmed.
The outcry prompted the Los Angeles Police Department to issue a statement to try to assuage concerns on Tuesday. The police department said it was limited in the amount of information it could release but revealed that the woman was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. She is currently being held on a $1 million bail.
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“We are aware this video has raised concerns from the community. Although we are limited in what info we can release, we can confirm this individual was arrested on a felony kidnapping warrant & taken into custody without a use-of-force,” the LAPD tweeted on Tuesday.
The incident comes days after newly-sworn-in LA police chief Michel Moore promised to build trust and promote policing in the city.
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