At emotional hearing, LAPD officer gets 36 months in jail in assault caught on video
Wearing dark sunglasses inside a downtown L.A. courtroom, Sandra Thomas approached the witness stand Thursday and spoke about the Los Angeles police officer she holds responsible for her daughter's death.
"I have to ask God to help me learn how to forgive her," she said to a judge before the sentencing of LAPD Officer Mary O'Callaghan. Thomas' 35-year-old daughter was handcuffed and assaulted by O'Callaghan during an arrest in 2012. She died shortly after being placed in the back of a squad car, complaining she couldn't breathe.
The encounter, which was captured on a dashboard camera, showed O'Callaghan striking Alesia Thomas — a mother of two — with an open hand and kicking her in the crotch. The officer then can be seen smoking a cigarette on the street, as Alesia Thomas fell unconscious.
Sandra Thomas, who works as a medical assistant, asked why O'Callaghan didn't show her daughter more sympathy and try to revive her.
"You have to show compassion for people," she said. "It makes me feel like she wanted that to happen."
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