Deputy Caught on Video Striking Woman

Bellflower - Internal investigations were under way today into an incident involving a 42-year-old woman seen in a video being struck by a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy on a bus in Bellflower.

The incident occurred about 6 p.m. Monday, when Julie Nelson of Bellflower, a burly woman described as a veteran with mental issues, was held by a female deputy while a male deputy appears to hit her in the side of the face with his elbow.

Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said the sheriff's Lakewood Station received a call of a disturbance at a bus stop at Artesia and Lakewood boulevards Monday evening. The caller said the party causing the disturbance boarded Metro bus 266 along with others.

Deputies stopped the northbound bus at Lakewood and Alondra boulevards and approached the "disturbing party... immediately recognizing her as an individual who had a history of assaulting deputies and had a propensity for violence," Parker said.

Deputies said they asked the woman to get off the bus, but she refused, began shouting profanities at them and threatened to assault them, he said.

"The deputies stated that a use of force was necessary because she was aggressive," Parker said. "One deputy used an elbow strike that caused her to fall on a nearby seat. Deputies were able to gain control of her and handcuffed her without further incident."

Parker said the woman was taken to a hospital where "medical professionals said they did not see any visible sign of injury as a result of the use of force."

"The woman continued to display a combative behavior toward medical staff and was admitted to the hospital for a 72-hour observation hold and was not arrested," Parker said, adding that she has four convictions for assaulting peace officers.

Sheriff Lee Baca told KNX-AM (1070) that Nelson "has been in jail many times."

"She's noted for having verbal conflicts with people in the community ... with law enforcement. She assaulted, on several occasions, law enforcement officers," he said.

But Baca criticized the tactics of the deputy who struck Nelson.

"If the individual deputy who swung an elbow at the lady is looking at that as a sensible solution, we need to retrain that individual," Baca said.

A "use of force" investigation has been launched, sheriff's officials said. Among those looking into the incident are the sheriff's Internal Affairs Bureau and deputies at the Lakewood Station. The Los Angeles County Office of Independent Review also will be probing Nelson's detention, officials said.