San Francisco

New Video Raises Questions About Alleged Cover Up in Stanislav Petrov Beating

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released video Wednesday that appears to show a deputy with a suspect's chain.

A gold chain in the hand of an Alameda County Sheriff's Office deputy at a crime scene in San Francisco is raising questions about an alleged cover up.

San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi released video Wednesday that appears to show a deputy with a suspect's chain. Adachi said minutes earlier two deputies were caught on camera beating Stanislav Petrov with batons after the suspect led deputies on a high-speed chase.

Petrov claims deputies also stole his necklace.

A couple in the San Francisco alley told investigators they witnessed the beating and a deputy gave them the necklace as payment for their silence -- a claim Adachi said the newly released video appears to prove.

"What's horrifying about this is these officers not only beat a man, they took steps to cover it up by stealing form him and giving it to a witness to pay off the witness," Adachi said.

The Alameda County Sheriff's Office said it has the video and everything that happened in that alley in November is under investigation.

"We had the video enhanced," Alameda County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Ray Kelly said. "The video is being used by the DA in San Francisco and by our investigators to look into the allegations of the gold chain theft."

Kelly said the deputy with the chain in hand is a 19-year veteran. He is on paid leave during the investigation, along with the two deputies involved in the beating.

Adachi wants to know why the district attorney has not filed criminal charges against the deputies. The DA's office said the investigation is ongoing.

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