A young man who was seen being struck by San Diego police in a widely shared video will be sentenced July 19 after pleading guilty to multiple charges.
Trenelle D. Cannon, 20, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges including resisting arrest and robbery. He’s slated to be sentenced to more than four years in prison.
The case attracted attention due to a 12-second video, shared on social media, that showed a group of officers punching him during a May 7 struggle on a South Bay roadside. Some critics accused the officers of using excessive force.
Cannon faced charges of resisting arrest in that incident, as well as robbery in an unrelated 2017 case. Prosecutors said he stole a necklace valued at $1,000, then fled from pursuing officers, leaving the chain behind.
In defending officers’ actions during Cannon’s arrest, officials said he tried to flee and tackled one officer prior to the events shown in the video.
San Diego police Chief David Nisleit called the blows “distraction strikes” that were necessary under the circumstances.
“We hear and understand the community’s concerns about the video being shared on social media,” Nisleit said. “However, this video does not provide context of what led up to the struggle with Mr. Cannon.”
The incident took place in the 600 block of E Street in Chula Vista, when officers pursued Cannon, who had outstanding robbery and gun- violation warrants. The officers found a loaded pistol abandoned where they had just seen the suspect, Nisleit said.
The suspect got into a car occupied by four other people and officers gave chase. The driver yielded near an Interstate 5 on-ramp and one officer approached a passenger door near Cannon’s seat.
At that point, police said Cannon burst out of the vehicle and tackled the patrolman, prompting several other officers to come to his aid as one of the suspect’s companions videotaped the fracas from inside the car.
“Believing Cannon possibly had another weapon, responding officers used a combination of physical force and distraction strikes to take him into custody while continuously giving him orders to surrender,” Nisleit said.
Cannon’s friends and family disputed the department’s account in a separate news conference. His girlfriend, Shakira Smith, said that once their car stopped, officers yanked Cannon out of the vehicle and “dogpiled him.”
Nisleit said neither the suspect nor the officers suffered serious injuries during the arrest.
– City News Service