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Trial Begins For LAPD Officer Accused Of Kicking, Pushing Handcuffed Woman

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Opening statements began Wednesday in the criminal trial against a Los Angeles police officer accused of kicking and pushing a handcuffed woman in the back seat of a patrol car who later died.

Mary O'Callaghan, an 18-year veteran formerly assigned to Southeast Area patrol, is facing a felony charge of assaulting an arrestee under color of authority. The woman who was being arrested on July 22, 2012 for child abandonment, Alesia Thomas, later lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The coroner's report said Thomas' cause of death was due to cocaine and a heart condition.

"The police officers who arrested Ms. Thomas and the defendant, Mary O'Callaghan, thought she was faking her medical distress. They thought she was exaggerating her need, but Alesia Thomas was not lying," Deputy District Attorney Shannon Presby said. "She was dying."

The jury of 11 women and one man were shown video of the backseat of the car the day of Thomas' arrest during the opening statements. The footage captured O'Callaghan kicking Thomas in the stomach and groin and pushing her in the throat, while in the backseat of the car with her hands handcuffed behind her back.

"I can't breathe. I can't move," Thomas is heard saying on the video.

"Evidence will show it was frustration and anger that led the defendant to shove and kick Ms. Thomas, not need, not lawful necessity," Presby said.

When the video footage was reviewed by LAPD investigators, the department immediately removed O'Callaghan from the field, officials said. When criminal charges were filed against her, O'Callaghan was relieved of duty and she is no longer receiving pay.

In a statement, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said the department is committed to thoroughly investigating any allegations of an officer going beyond the law.

"In this case, the LAPD's investigation led directly to the charges being presented in a court of law and we await the justice system's determination based on the evidence in this case," Beck said.

If convicted, O'Callaghan faces three years in state prison.

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