Anthony Promvongsa Police Beating: Video Shows Minnesota Cop Pummel Asian Man

WORTHINGTON, MN — It hasn't even been two weeks since a police officer from the Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony was acquitted of killing Philando Castile, and once again, local cops in another sleepy Minnesota town are taking heat for their violent approach to subduing a citizen during a traffic stop. And once again, the violence has been caught on tape.

The Minnesota branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released damning dash-cam footage Thursday of the stop. Attorneys claim it was shot from a Worthington Police Department vehicle back in summer 2016.

In the video, young Asian-American man Anthony Promvongsa is pulled over by Worthington Police Sgt. Tim Gaul and his partner, Joe Joswiak, an agent for the joint Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force (a special multi-county team that appears to be commandeered by the Worthington Police Department).

Beware — like most videos of this nature, it's hard to watch.

Representatives for the Worthington Police Department did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment on the ACLU's allegations. We also asked for more information on Agent Joswiak's relationship to the department. We'll update this post with any additional details as they come in.

But according to an investigation by the ACLU, whose attorneys have taken up Promvongsa's case, the young man was pulled over by Agent Joswiak on July 28, 2016 — not because of any evidence he had committed a drug offense, but because he had allegedly tailgated another off-duty Worthington officer earlier in the day. Thus prompting that officer, according to the ACLU, to instruct Agent Joswiak to make the traffic stop.

Within seconds of pulling up behind Promvongsa’s vehicle, Joswiak can be seen running to the driver's-side door with his weapon drawn.

"Get the f--- out of the car, motherf-----," the agent shouts at Promvongsa. "Show me your hands!"

Agent Joswiak then, in the words of the ACLU, "immediately yanks open the door and begins violently pulling Promvongsa from the vehicle before Promvongsa can even remove his seat belt."

As the officer forcefully and repeatedly knees and punches Promvongsa, all while the young man is still inside the vehicle, the audio cuts out — "intentionally shut off," the ACLU claims, by Sgt. Gaul, "who himself has had two prior civil lawsuits filed against him for use of excessive force."

The moments that follow are equally brutal: Joswiak can be seen yanking Promvongsa from his car (with help from Gaul), then crunching the man's head and neck down into the pavement with his knee.

Here's the full dash-cam clip.

"This type of brutality by officers is not only unconstitutional — it’s terrifying for the individual being assaulted and for the community as a whole," the ACLU said in a statement Thursday.

And "communities of color" especially, the ACLU said, "already have a tenuous relationship with police, and unacceptable behavior like this makes it harder for it ever to change."

The victim himself added:

"I know I am not the first person to have this type of traumatic experience with law enforcement in Worthington. This type of violence with community members has to stop. This encounter was demoralizing and has left me scared of future interactions with the police.”

ACLU attorneys are demanding that Worthington Police Department officials "immediately investigate the incident, take all appropriate personnel actions, and ensure this never happens again."

They're also asking that local police and prosecutors drop their charges against Promvongsa. According to the ACLU, these charges include fleeing in a motor vehicle and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon (his car), relating back to the tailgating allegation from earlier that day.

Again — we've contacted Worthington authorities, and will report back with anything we hear from them.

Video courtesy of the ACLU