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Investigation Of Violent Jaywalking Arrest Ends With Decision Sealed

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento Police officer returns to work after spending six months on paid leave for an incident that was caught on camera and seen across the country.

"This is one situation I haven't dealt with yet," said Naomi Montaie, wiping tears from her eyes.

She remembers the day she recorded the fight in the middle of a Del Paso Heights street.

"I had enough bars on my phone to take that video, and when I took that video it was necessary," said Montaie.

Too upset to stay in her neighborhood, Montaie moved away shortly after the April incident.

"I moved from where I was born. I moved from Del Paso Heights," said Montaie.

During the police altercation that Montaie witnessed, Nandi Cain Jr. was thrown to the ground and repeatedly punched in the face by a Sacramento Police officer.

"The end result of the contact is not what we want to see when it comes to our personnel and our department," said Chief Daniel Hahn with the Sacramento Police Department.

Cain was arrested for jaywalking, but the charges were later dropped.

The officer, identified in a lawsuit as Anthony Figueroa was put on paid leave.

The investigation is now over, but whether the officer's actions violated department policy is sealed. Hahn says Figueroa will take dozens of hours of training over the next month before returning to his normal patrol.

"We can't have any member of our department not be able to be fully functioning contributing member to making our city move forward," said Hahn.

It's a move that is troubling to some community leaders.

"Biggest problem is that he's going to be back in the same neighborhood on the same streets," said Ryan Mcclinton.

He is a community activist. He says the police have made strides to build trust, but violent encounters between the public and police challenge those relationships.

"Where is the respect for the community that you just utterly harmed," said McClinton.

It was a fight on the street that is now difficult to forget.

"I have to play this over again, over again, over again," said Montaie.

Her community still aching for more accountability.

"We can talk all we can talk, and we can put it out there, but are we putting it into action," said Montaie.

The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office investigation found nothing criminal was done by Cain or Figaroa. Cain filed a civil suit against the city and police department.

He alleges he was beaten and humiliated when being booked into jail. The lawsuit is pending.

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