Video of woman’s arrest by university officer goes viral

WNCN– A video of an arrest in California is going viral after it was posted to Facebook Sunday.

A Facebook user whose posted name is Samantha Luna posted video clips showing an officer pulling a woman from a vehicle – leading to a struggle.

“She pulled us over for my friend sticking her head out of the sun roof. I am not saying that was ok. But we were not being rude, we were not “intoxicated in a public place”, we were passengers in a car. Not harming anyone,” Luna’s post reads.

A female officer asks the woman multiple times to exit the vehicle.

The video shows multiple officers holding the woman down as she screams and continues to struggle.

North Coast News reports Humboldt State University released a statement regarding the arrest since one of its officers was involved in the incident.

On Saturday, June 16, the Humboldt State University Police Department was working a multi-agency operation targeting alcohol violations. In conjunction with this operation, two arrests were made off campus at 9th and F streets in Arcata. The University is looking into circumstances surrounding these arrests, as well as videos that have been shared.

University Police officers made a traffic stop at 8:21 p.m., after seeing the passenger of a vehicle hanging dangerously out of the sunroof. That person, a juvenile, was arrested on suspicion of providing false identification to a peace officer, public intoxication, and battery on a peace officer.

Following that arrest, another passenger in the vehicle, Samantha Alonso Luna, was arrested following an altercation with a UPD officer. Alonso Luna was booked on suspicion of resisting arrest, battery on a peace officer, public intoxication, and providing false identification to a police officer.

HSU President Lisa Rossbacher and UPD Chief Donn Peterson are aware of the incident, and have reviewed video of the arrest. Peterson says that there was reasonable cause to conduct the initial stop and investigate the alcohol violations that were subsequently observed. All video relating the incident is being reviewed and there will be a transparent and independent review of the arrest as well as a full internal review.

“We take underage drinking very seriously,” Peterson says. “The stop and what occurred afterwards will be thoroughly reviewed by the District Attorney.”

“I have seen the video of this arrest, and I have confidence that Chief Peterson and our University Police will conduct a thorough review,” says Rossbacher. “The external review will give our University community the opportunity to understand this incident in a full and fair light.

Alonso Luna is not an HSU student. The name of the other arrestee is being withheld because the person is a minor.