LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – An intense physical altercation took place Sunday between the owners of a tacac stand, police and inspectors from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
The incident was captured on camera. In the video, El Monte police officers talk to both owners of the Los Palomos taco stand, with their husband and wife, Fermin Martinez and Sylvia Aguilar.
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In the video, a fight breaks out between the owners and several officers. Husband and wife are quickly taken to the ground. An officer hits Martinez several times in the arm with a flashlight in the video, while officers try to handcuff the couple.
“There are a lot of cue stands and it doesn’t bother anyone but us,” Martinez said. “That’s what I wanted to know, but then they started hitting me and threw me on the floor and hit me in the head many times.”
His wife said on Sunday that she was upset with the way the situation turned out.
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“I’m sad, very sad because we work,” she said. “We do not rob anyone and we do not ask anyone for help. We just want to work. ”
According to Los Angeles County officials, the owners first became physically aggressive with the inspectors, who claimed that the owners kicked an inspector and a police officer.
Both the El Monte police and the LA County Health Department were initially there to investigate complaints about the sale of food without a permit at the taco stand, which is against the state’s health and safety code.
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The couple said they work to buy a food truck and then get eligibility for a permit.