Man in Trolley Beating Video Arrested

The man captured on video being beaten by transit cops on the San Diego trolley has been arrested, La Mesa police confirmed.

Felipe Vedoy was on his way to parole classes Wednesday morning when he was taken into custody, according to a family member.

Vedoy’s arrest was on a parole hold and not connected to the investigation into the Aug. 18 beating on board a moving trolley, La Mesa police Lt. Matt Nicholass told NBC 7.

The beating, captured on a trolley surveillance camera, shows security officers tackling, grabbing and punching a shirtless Vedoy as other passengers watched.  In the ten-minute video, officers pulled out their batons and struck Vedoy repeatedly.

Vedoy had just boarded the MTS trolley at the Grossmont Trolley Station moments before the altercation began.

The trolley was stopped at the 70th Street station and passengers were told to get off. Soon after, Vedoy was removed from the trolley by three security guards. He was later treated for minor injuries at a nearby hospital.

Vedoy lives with his sister, Yesenia Huerta, in La Mesa.

She says La Mesa police has been to her home more than once since the investigation was launched.

On one occasion, Huerta said officers pushed her 12-year-old daughter out of the way to enter the home and broke down her brother's locked bedroom door without a warrant.

NBC 7 reached out to Lt. Nicholas to respond to the allegations of harassment made by Huerta.

Huerta said her brother has had run-ins with the law in the past but that shouldn’t cloud the investigation into why she says trolley security beat her brother unprovoked.

The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) handed the footage from its public camera over the police to determine if the hired Transit Systems Security (TSS) officers used excessive force.

TSS is under contract to provide armed security officers for MTS. The two employees have been suspended until the investigation is complete.

MTS officials have not ruled out termination or criminal charges.
“It appears at this time that the actions taken by the security officers were unacceptable,” said Paul Jablonski, chief executive officer of MTS, in a statement released after the video surfaced. “MTS and TSS do not tolerate the inappropriate use of force by its employees or those of its contractors.”

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