Video Released Of California Man's Leg Broken During Arrest

PASADENA, CA -- An Altadena man filed damages against Pasadena Wednesday after the city released body-camera footage of the man's leg being broken during a November arrest. The footage was released after the city received backlash when a passerby shared a video of the arrest on Facebook, according to pasadenanow.com.

Christopher Ballew, 21, was arrested Nov. 9 near Fair Oaks Avenue and Woodbury Road. Police said he was arrested after committing traffic violations. The body camera footage, released last week, shows officers approaching Ballew at a gas station, where they attempt to arrest him.

One officer is heard telling Ballew, "(You) better stop acting like a dummy, dude. Give me your hand."

Ballew responds by saying, "C'mon, man. What the f----. C'mon, bro. I didn't do anything. My hands are on my head, bro. What are you doing this for? Where is the commanding officer?"

The officers struggle to arrest Ballew as he pulls away. They then pull him to the ground. Later in the footage, blood is shown in that spot.

The city did not identify the officers, but a uniform bearing the name "Esparaza" is visible.

"I tried my best to comply with every command that was given to me, from `give me your hands' to `turn over,"' Ballew told reporters during a Wednesday news conference at the office of his attorney, John Burton. "Nobody to this day has told me why I was stopped, really. Nobody's told me why this escalated in this manner. Nobody's told me anything."

Ballew was ultimately booked on suspicion of assault on a police officer. Although he was released, Burton said prosecutors have so far declined to file any charges against him.

He is still traumatized by the altercation.

William Boyer, a spokesman for the city of Pasadena, said Ballew's claim "will be processed in an appropriate manner like all claims filed with the city." He also said the city "takes seriously all use-of-force incidents" and that the arrest "is under active internal review."

--City News Service contributed to this report/Photo via Shutterstock