Woman blinded by cop during pepper-spray attack, jury can’t reach decision
A never-before-seen video showing a woman getting pepper-sprayed by a California police officer has been released.
A Riverside jury heard the case against former officer Enoch Clark, who is charged with using excessive force against Monique Hernandez during a traffic stop in 2012.
Video released to CBS2 by Hernandez’s family shows the woman in excruciating pain shortly after she was blinded by the spray as she was taken in for treatment. “I don’t know what he did mom. All I know is I felt something touch my temple… all I seen was little stars,” she says.
The trial wrapped up last week with the prosecution showing dash-cam video of the arrest and the incident. That video is still not available to the public.
Clark, who claims Hernandez resisted arrest, could spend 20 years in prison if convicted.
Clark fired a JPX gunpowder-propelled gun, discharging a chemical irritant at 400 mph. He fired the weapon just 10 inches away from Hernandez’s face and then arrested her for misdemeanor driving under the influence.
As a result, the pepper spray gel sliced the woman’s right eyeball in half, fractured her right orbital bone and severed the optic nerve in her left eye.
After four days of deliberation, it appears the jury may be deadlocked. One issue faced by jurors is defining reasonable force. On Monday, jurors asked the judge to define legal necessity before they went home.
Check back for updates.
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