(KTLA) — Bodycam footage released Wednesday shows a deputy punching a young mother in the face as she held her 3-week-old baby in Palmdale, California.

The incident took place in July of 2022, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

A press conference with L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna was held Wednesday to address the two use-of-force incidents captured on video.

On July 13, 2022, Palmdale Station deputies said they first spotted a vehicle driving without headlights and initiated a traffic stop shortly before midnight on July 13, 2022, Luna said. Authorities approaching the vehicle smelled alcohol coming from the car, where five adults and three infants were sitting inside.

The three babies were being held in the arms of the women instead of strapped into car seats, according to Luna. The male driver, accused of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a suspended license, was arrested. Also arrested were the female passengers, who were accused of felony child endangerment.

In bodycam footage from the scene of the traffic stop, one of the mothers is seen sitting on the ground while holding her baby, pleading with deputies not to take her child away.

The woman is heard saying she has a car for the child at home, asks if she can go retrieve it.

A female deputy approaches and says, “We’re past that point. We didn’t realize you had that many kids. You guys each have a kid in the backseat without car seats.”

When the woman doesn’t cooperate, the deputy says, “So do you want me to grab the baby or are you going to hand the baby over nicely?”

The woman begins crying. “Please don’t take my baby, please,” she says.

“I don’t want to have to snatch her and have my partners grab your arms,” the deputy says. “That’s the last thing I want to do. But we’re going to take the baby one way or another, and I don’t want to be rude about it.”

When the woman asks why she can’t just drive home, another deputy responds, “You already committed a crime. No one has car seats in the car for the children. That is a big safety concern.”

As the deputies decide to move in, one holds the woman’s arms back while another deputy takes the baby from her arms. As the woman is crying, the bodycam moves to another woman who was standing by the vehicle while holding her 3-week-old.

As deputies approach to take the baby, she begins yelling and saying, “Y’all are not taking my baby. You’re going to have to shoot me dead to take my baby from my arms. I’m not about to let you take my baby.”

While struggling to detain the woman, a male deputy is seen punching the woman twice in the face. Authorities confirmed the woman was still holding the baby at the time.

The woman yells in pain, and continues yelling as she’s being handcuffed.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Luna said he “found the punching of the woman in these circumstances completely unacceptable.”

“I believe this is an isolated incident committed by an individual that will be held accountable,” Luna added.

“While this incident occurred one year ago before my term as sheriff began, I took swift action upon learning of this incident several days ago,” Luna said. “I must note that state law precludes me from disclosing disciplinary actions taken in this matter.”

Although no further details on the deputy’s status were released, authorities have confirmed he was taken off field duty.

Luna said the case will be sent to the district attorney for criminal consideration and that the Los Angeles FBI office is also looking into the matter.

“I have spoken with local elected officials, along with community and religious leaders, to discuss this incident,” he said. “I ask our community to support good policing but then it’s incumbent on us to call out bad policing when we see it. We are calling out, by these actions, by presenting today that we saw that the actions of one individual are problematic.”

Richard Pippin, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS), released a statement concerning the incident.

“The video makes one thing obvious — police work is demanding and unpredictable. Any dispute over the control of infants on the roadway at 12:30 AM during an arrest of the driver of the car these children were riding in without proper restraints is a bad situation. Apparently, our deputies and the on-scene patrol supervisor had determined it wasn’t safe for the children to leave with the parents who were going to be taken into custody.

The physical safety of the infants was clearly our deputies’ highest priority as they were seen pleading with the women for a lengthy period. There will be a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking, and some will no doubt say that things could have been done differently. We will let the public decide that for themselves. A full investigation and due process for all involved — including those who work through the night to keep our communities and our children safe — will yield that information. In the meantime, we urge everyone to remain calm and allow the rule of law to work.”

Richard Pippin

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger also released a statement, calling the footage “gut-wrenching.” L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the deputy’s actions “appalling.”

“I appreciate Sheriff Luna for being transparent with the public and bringing this footage forward, but this video is nearly a year old and should have been released immediately by the prior Sheriff,” Hahn said.

“The video footage is gut-wrenching. My heart aches for the children we see in this video, and for their mothers. Transparency and accountability starts at the top.”

The full bodycam video has been released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on YouTube.