The Riverside Police Department has begun an internal affairs investigation after an officer was recorded twice slamming his foot into a skateboard and appearing to damage it while on a call. Several other officers were present and had tried to ride the skateboard.
The video was posted to YouTube and had more than 200,000 views as of Thursday afternoon.
“We all take this seriously,” Officer Ryan Railsback, a Police Department spokesman, said Thursday, Jan. 23, after Police Chief Larry Gonzalez announced the investigation. “The actions depicted on the video are concerning to us.”
The officers remain on duty as the investigation is in its early stages. The incident happened on Tuesday, and a resident filed a written complaint on Wednesday. The department became aware of the video on Thursday, Railsback said.
Police went to a home near the Wood Streets neighborhood to assist code enforcement officers, Railsback said. He said he didn’t know why they were requested.
Images appearing to be from a neighbor’s surveillance camera show five police officers and a code enforcement officer entering the backyard. The police generally mill about, taking time to look at three motorcycles.
Eventually, one police officer notices a skateboard leaning against some furniture. He places it on the ground and three times attempts to ride it and do tricks. Another police officer climbs aboard and rocks back and forth. A third police officer then attempts to ride it but abruptly stops and laughs about it.
As the contingent heads out of the yard, two police officers stay back. One can be heard saying “smash” and is seen pointing. The other grabs what appears to be a pick axe. That officer then slams his right foot on the middle of the board. He looks at the other officer and does it again, and this time the board appears to cave in.
The other police officer then appears to photograph the skateboard, and both leave.
