Video shows Manatee Co. deputy hit, kick, stomp inmate

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A corrections deputy has been fired and could face charges after he kicked and hit an inmate for almost a full minute, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

It happened on March 29 in the medical pod at the Manatee County Jail. 

Jorge Ajanel was being held in a detox cell. He had been arrested three days prior for alleged trespassing and failure to appear in court for a misdemeanor.

Surveillance video shows Ajanel banging on his cell door. According to a 30-page internal affairs investigation, Deputy Tyler LeMond went to check on him. 

After Deputy LeMond told Anajel to get away from the door, LeMond charged into the cell, followed by another deputy.

The video shows LeMond shove Ajanel, causing him to fall. What happened next caught the attention of LeMond's supervisors. 

For 42 seconds, LeMond strikes Ajanel eight times with his knee, once with a closed-fist punch, and once with a foot stomp. 

Documents show Ajanel tried protecting himself by covering his chest. He somehow walked away without any injuries. 

The report said LeMond did not need to use that kind of force, adding he never tried to de-escalate the situation.

LeMond, on the other hand, told internal affairs investigators that he felt the force was necessary. He said that Ajanel forcefully and aggressively grabbed him in an effort to pull him into the cell. 

LeMond was fired less than 4 weeks after the incident occurred.

Investigators sent their findings to the State Attorney's Office, which will determine if criminal charges will be filed against LeMond.  

The 21-year-old has been as a corrections deputy since March 2017. 

Documents show, in the last 21 months, he has been involved in 20 different use of force incidents, however, it's not uncommon for jail deputies to face those types of incidents in the jail.