US police break black man's leg by beating him with baton during arrest: 'What are you doing bro?'

Christopher Ballew plans to take legal action after suffering broken fibula

Footage of a police officer breaking a black man’s leg by beating him with a baton during an arrest has been released by officials California.

Christopher Ballew suffered a broken fibula and a bleeding head wound while being detained in Los Angeles County.

The 21-year-old plans to take legal action against the city, according to Pasadena News Now.

Steve Mermell, Pasadena City Manager, authorised the release of six new videos, showing multiple angles of the violent arrest, which has sparked anger from civil rights groups.

The footage shows police attempting to arrest Mr Ballew at a Mobil petrol station on 9 November, after he is claimed to have committed multiple traffic violations while driving a white Mercedes.

The body camera and patrol car footage shows an officer approaching Mr Ballew as he is on his way to the cashier, before leading him back to his car.

Mr Ballew appears to resist being handcuffed as one officer pushes him up against his vehicle. Another officer warns him to “stop acting like a dummy”, and together they force Mr Ballew to his knees.

During the incident, Mr Ballew can be heard asking why he is being arrested and repeatedly asking for their commanding officer.

Mr Ballew eventually gets back to his feet. After being struck by a baton, he grabs it, but is pushed to the ground. One officer points his gun at at the suspect, but holsters it when the baton is dropped.

A hand pushes Mr Ballew’s head hard enough onto the concrete that a pool of blood starts to form.

Footage recorded by a bystander shows one of the policemen hitting Mr Ballew’s back with the baton, then striking his legs twice, while another officer punches him. A Pasadena city spokesperson said he had suffered a fractured fibula during the ordeal.

Mr Ballew was arrested on suspicion of assault on a peace officer, but released on a $50,000 bond the next day.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office decided not to prosecute Mr Ballew, citing a lack of evidence.

John Burton, Mr Ballew’s lawyer, told Pasadena Now: “We will be pursuing a claim for money damages. The reason is not just to get justice for him and compensation for what are some significant injuries that he has sustained but also to find out and document and expose what happened here.”

“Some of it is clear from the video but a lot of that is actually a complete mystery to me, and I’m very anxious to find out how [police] are going to try to explain some of this conduct — which to me is inexplicable.”

Delano Yarbrough, Pasadena's local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) president, said he and found the officers’ actions “reprehensible” and “inhumane.”

“We are concerned that such treatment continues against people of colour, especially black males,” he told Pasadena Weekly.

Pasadena's Office of the City Manager has been contacted for comment.