Video purports to show deputy robbing suspect

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office released edited video footage Thursday that they said shows an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy stealing jewelry from a suspect who had just been severely beaten in the course of his arrest last year.

The video, posted to YouTube by the public defender’s office, has been slowed down and visually enhanced. The picture is blurry, but the video’s description alleges the deputy “appears to take a chain left in the street” after the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Stanislav Petrov, was severely beaten.

Petrov allegedly led deputies on a high-speed chase from unincorporated San Leandro across the Bay Bridge to an alley in San Francisco’s Mission District on Nov. 12. After crashing his vehicle, Petrov fled on foot.

Deputies tackled Petrov and struck him more than 40 times with their batons, resulting in serious injuries and hospitalization, according to Petrov’s attorneys, who filed a complaint against Alameda County in March for what they called “the worst law enforcement beating we’ve seen on video since Rodney King.”

The deputy believed to have stolen the gold chain has not yet been identified, but Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern said he has 20 years of experience with the department. He’s been placed on administrative leave.

Petrov’s attorneys said the deputy gave the chain to two homeless people who witnessed the beating to dissuade them from reporting the inciden, allegedly telling the two witnesses, “I hope you enjoy the show.”

After handing them the chain, Petrov’s attorneys said the deputies also told the two witnesses:

“Don’t spend it all in one place.”

Ahern said in March that, after learning of the theft and bribery allegations, he notified San Francisco police that they should be looking into those aspects of the incident.

The necklace was reportedly pawned and has not been recovered.

In an unrelated case, Petrov was arrested April 1 and faces federal gun and drug charges after authorities allegedly found a pistol, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in a room where he was staying in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood.

Petrov pleaded not guilty to the charges and will be back in court May 17 for a status conference.