Sacramento Mayor Speaks Out Against Man's Violent Jaywalking Arrest

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is condemning a violent jaywalking arrest that was caught on video and has made national news.

Steinberg says the arrest is part of a culture problem in the Sacramento Police Department and departments across the country.

Cellphone video and dashcam video show the confrontation between a Sacramento Police officer and a jaywalking suspect that led to the officer taking him to the ground and punching him repeatedly.

That officer is on paid administrative leave and his job is on the line as internal and criminal investigations begin into how he handled the confrontation.

Both videos have Steinberg asking questions.

"Do you stop somebody that didn't do anything but apparently jaywalk?" he said. "I mean I don't know that we're stopping people for jaywalking in other parts of the city."

The man taken into custody, 24-year-old Nandi Cain, says he feared for his life.

Video shows Cain being taken into the back of a police cruiser, where he could be seen alternately kicking and crying.

Police initially took him into custody for resisting arrest, then released him without filing any charges.

The mayor asked if there is a problem in the police department,

"We have a culture problem," he said, "and it's not a problem that's just a Sacramento problem."

The officer's name has not been released, but the department says he's been with them for two years.