Video shows: Huntington Park woman beaten by police officer as her house burned

HUNTINGTON PARK, Calif. (KABC) – Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations turned into a nightmare for a Huntington Park family when their apartment caught fire and an arrest was made.

The incident occurred shortly after 10 p.m. when a neighbor alerted the Hernandez family that their garage was on fire. Despite attempts to extinguish the fire, the flames spread quickly.

A cell phone video shows Adriana Hernandez running toward the apartment she shared with her parents for 27 years. But just as she shouts at her father to go away, she is stopped by a police officer.

Seconds later, a police officer is seen hitting Hernandez.

“She didn’t care. She just grabbed me by the shirt, literally ripped up my rosary and started punching me in the face three times,” Hernandez recalled.

The incident left Hernandez traumatized and injured. She says she was holding her cellphone at the time, calling her upstairs neighbor to evacuate her, then ran to grab her father as he tried to save his photography equipment.

Hernandez says she not only lost her home that night, but also her freedom. She was arrested and charged with resisting arrest.

“It just felt like everything was taken away from me so quickly and it wasn’t even my fault,” Hernandez told Eyewitness News.

Hernandez is studying civil engineering and fears the charges could affect her future prospects.

More pressing, however, is the question of where her family will live. Hernandez says both her parents are diabetic and the family needs to replace her father’s photography equipment so he can return to work.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the family recover.

“Everyone is reaching out and asking how they can help. I really appreciate that,” Hernandez said.

Eyewitness News has reached out to Huntington Park police regarding the incident captured on cellphone video.

In response, the ministry issued the following statement:

“The incident is currently under administrative review to determine all facts and circumstances that led to the use of force to ensure compliance with department policies.”