San Bernardino Sheriff's Deputies Pummel Horse Thief

The San Bernardino County, California, Sheriff's Office opened two investigations Thursday hours after video of deputies using a stun gun on a man on a stolen horse and then beating him repeatedly was broadcast on the local NBC affiliate. The video shows 30-year-old Francis Jared Pusok being chased by two deputies, he falls off the horse and is Tasered by deputies, who then begin begin punching him in the head and kneeing him in the groin. Over the next two minutes, several other deputies arrived on the scene and they, too, assaulted Francis. He was taken to a local hospital where he's being treated for undisclosed injuries.

Here's the back story: The sheriff's office said deputies were serving a search warrant in connection with an identity theft investigation about 12:12 p.m. when Franics fled in a vehicle. At some point, he stole a horse from a group of people in San Bernardino National Park and rode off through dirt trails into steep, rugged terrain. About two hours after the chase started, three deputies landed in a sheriff's helicopter, spooking the horse, which threw Francis off. "A Taser was deployed but was ineffective due to his loose clothing," the sheriff's said in a statement. "A use of force occurred during the arrest." According to the statement, two deputies were being treated for dehydration and that a third was injured. That deputy was kicked by the horse, which was also injured during the pursuit.


And here's the video:






source: KNBC