Civil rights leaders in Los Angeles are calling for a swift and independent investigation into an incident in which a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer repeatedly struck a woman who was walking along the Santa Monica (10) Freeway near La Brea Avenue last week.

Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E., speaks to reporters at the California Highway Patrol facility in Culver City on Tuesday, when civil rights leaders met with CHP officials. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

A passing motorist took video of the incident, and it has since been uploaded to YouTube. It shows a CHP officer sitting on top of the woman — later identified as Marlene Pinnock — and punching her several times as she lay on the shoulder of the freeway.

“I’ve never had a case where I’ve seen a woman being beaten in this manner by a police officer,” one of her attorneys, John Burris, said. “Certainly, [for] men, that’s not uncommon.”

According to the CHP arrest report, the incident occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m. on July 1, when the agency received a call about a pedestrian walking on the right shoulder of the 10 Freeway.

An officer responded and saw Pinnock walking barefoot on the eastbound shoulder — at times walking within traffic lanes, the report states. The unidentified officer advised Pinnock to stop walking and did not receive a response, so he exited the patrol car, according to the report.

It states that the officer stood in front of Pinnock between the main portion of the freeway and a collector road, but she walked away, ignoring commands to stop walking from the responding officer.

“During the conversation, the pedestrian then becomes physically combative, at which point the officer is forced to place the pedestrian under arrest in fear of the pedestrian’s and officer’s safety,” the report states. “A physical altercation ensued as the pedestrian continued to resist arrest, at which point a plain clothes off-duty officer assisted in applying handcuffs to the pedestrian.”

According to the report, Pinnock was asked if she had sustained injuries, and she did not advise of any. However, she was transported to the Los Angeles County Medical Center for further evaluation.

The incident spurred outrage that spilled onto the CHP Facebook page, where the agency released a statement.

“We understand everyone’s concerns regarding the YouTube video of a CHP Officer from the Central Los Angeles Area,” the statement reads. “Please know that a complete and thorough investigation is underway to obtain all of the facts and evidence surrounding the incident. The CHP has a long history as a professional and respected law enforcement organization. We ask for your patience as we complete the detailed investigation process.”

Burris, Pinnock’s attorney, said he has no idea why the officer felt it was necessary to use such force, which was the most “egregious” level of force he’s ever seen used against a woman.

“I just have never seen anything like that,” he said.

Burris said he has not spoken to Pinnock, but her family said she is doing better, physically and mentally. He said she is being examined in a mental hospital to ensure that she is in a position to take care of herself. Burris said Pinnock has a history of mental illness.

“Mental problems, in and of itself, does not justify beating somebody into submission,” he said, adding that he did not know what the extent of her injuries were. Burris said she likely sustained some bumps and bruises, but he did not know if she had a concussion.

He said the main question is whether the officer was reasonable in using this particular amount of force. Burris said an officer can use force when making an arrest if an individual resists.

“If you look at what you see here, it does not appear to be reasonable,” he said, adding that the officer did not appear to be restrained and was just throwing repetitive blows. “That’s the part that’s most damning about it.”

Burris said no lawsuit has been filed, as the attorneys continue to investigate and wait for witnesses to come forward.

In recent years, there has been more focus on helping law enforcement officers manage situations with people who are mentally ill, he said. Burris said officers are taught not to escalate the situation.

“Mental illness is a reality in our lives now, and so police are more trained on how to deal with someone who appears to be mentally impaired,” he said. “Those are factors to consider.”

Pinnock has reportedly been arrested several times throughout her life. Burris said he was not aware of her criminal history, but said he would “not be surprised” if she had a history in the judicial system.

On Tuesday, civil rights leaders visited the CHP headquarters in Culver City to discuss the incident with Commissioner Joe Farrow. Attending were representatives from the CHP, the patrolman’s union, the NAACP, the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, the Youth Advocacy Coalition and Sen. Holly Mitchell’s office, as well as faith leaders. Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E., spoke to the media at the meeting.

“The commissioner promised that this investigation would not take months, it would take weeks, and that was something that we were glad to hear because too often, these investigations drag on and on and on,” he said.

Ali said Farrow commented that the incident was “the most shocking thing” he’d ever seen during his experience with the CHP.

“This is from the mouth of the commissioner,” Ali added. “We are grateful that he’s taking this case very seriously. It gives the community hope that we will get justice at the end of the day.”

He said the CHP has not released the name of the officer, though they may do that at some point.

“It’s important to the community that his name be released because we want to know [if] he has a past history of abuse to anyone else. We can’t know that unless we know his name,” Ali said. “We’re hopeful that will change over the next few days.”

If the CHP does not keep its word, advocates will put more pressure on the agency, he said. Ali announced a protest at noon on Saturday at La Brea Avenue and Adams Boulevard, near the site of the incident.

He said the group also asked for an independent investigation.

“We can’t let the CHP investigate themselves,” Ali said. “That’s like asking the fox to watch the henhouse. We want an independent investigation. That way, we have some transparency.”

Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-Calif.) on Tuesday sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, requesting that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct an investigation into the matter.

“The video is truly horrific,” Bass said in a statement.

Pedro Baez, vice president of the Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable, also attended the meeting. He said the group plans to meet with CHP officials again in the relatively near future.

“It was a very good first step,” Baez said, adding that they were grateful the commissioner attended. “We were all on the same page. There was no in-fighting.”

Pinnock’s incident was not the sole episode involving a pedestrian on the freeway for the CHP over the last two weeks. At approximately 5 a.m. on July 8, two Palmdale residents fatally struck a male pedestrian who was walking along the Hollywood (101) Freeway just north of the Highland Avenue exit.

The 51-year-old driver of the car, a 2012 Honda, suffered injuries to his left arm and was admitted to a local hospital. No arrests were made, but the investigation is ongoing.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office could not identify the decedent, pending the notification of kin.