In Vallejo, California, an incident involving a white Vallejo Police Department officer has been caught on video, showing him punching a Black woman following a car accident on Oct. 13.
The officer in question, identified as Officer Colin Eaton, is a six-year veteran of the police department and has a history of violent arrests.
TikTok user Romyr Hamilton was on the scene during the arrest and recorded the entire event on a cellphone. The video has since gone viral. It shows Officer Eaton forcibly removing the woman from her vehicle, slamming her against a cement truck, and then punching her while she was on the ground in the 100 block of Admiral Callaghan Lane.
“Once she was on the ground, I think the punch was unnecessary,” said Hamilton. “She was just in a car accident. She’s still a human being. She may be hurt.”
The woman had reportedly been a suspect in a shoplifting case, according to the Open Vallejo.
Hamilton, who shared the video, commented that the punch seemed unwarranted, especially considering the woman had just been in a car accident. Both she and another suspect were initially taken to the hospital before being transported to Solano County Jail.
The Vallejo Police Department issued a statement, claiming that the woman was a burglary suspect who had attempted to flee the scene and ran a red light, leading to the collision. The statement explains that Officer Eaton attempted to restrain the suspect against the cement truck, but she resisted and tried to escape. In response,
Officer Eaton employed a control hold takedown to prevent her from fleeing further. The woman continued to actively resist, prompting the officer to strike her once to gain immediate compliance.
Officer Eaton’s history includes involvement in a case where he and five other officers shot and killed 20-year-old musician Willie McCoy in his vehicle in 2019. During that incident, Eaton fired 13 of the 55 bullets into McCoy’s car. Eaton has also faced disciplinary action for his use of force, including an incident where he placed his booted foot on a restrained suspect’s head for over a minute.
Furthermore, Eaton previously arrested 20-year-old Deyana Jenkins, using a Taser on her despite her claims of not resisting. In response to a series of police misconduct incidents, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the city of Vallejo and its Police Department, alleging regular violations of constitutional rights.
As a result, the city of Vallejo has been placed under a five-year consent decree, mandating the implementation of reforms within its Police Department.
