WATCH: Los Angeles Police Officer Gets Jail Time For Assaulting Woman Who Died

A Los Angeles police officer has been sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting a woman who died shortly after a 2012 arrest that was caught on video.

Mary O’Callaghan, 50, hit and kicked 35-year-old Alesia Thomas in an assault captured by a police vehicle camera. Video shows that O’Callaghan jabbed at Thomas’ throat and threatened to kick her before raising her boot and striking Thomas.

A Los Angeles jury convicted O’Callaghan last month of assault under color of authority.

The altercation began when officers went to Thomas’s home to investigate claims that she had abandoned her children.

After the altercation, Thomas asked the police to call an ambulance, but one was not called until at least 30 minutes after she made the request. She can be seen breathing heavily in the video before losing consciousness. She died shortly after at the hospital.

Prosecutors said they do not have the evidence to charge O’Callaghan for the death of the 35-year-old mother. The LA county coroner said it was impossible to determine whether the altercation played a role in her death and said that cocaine intoxication was probably “a major factor”.

Another police vehicle video shows O’Callaghan smoking a cigarette outside of her patrol vehicle and looking in at Thomas. “This ain’t a good sign,” she said.

The final 20 months of O’Callaghan’s sentence were suspended, so she is due to spend about 16 months in a county jail.

O’Callaghan’s attorney, Robert Rico, said that his client’s use of force was “reasonable” and “necessary” because Thomas had disobeyed the officer’s orders and was more than 6ft tall.

He also said O’Callaghan pushed Thomas with her boot and did not kick her.

After the decision was announced on Thursday, he said he planned to file a motion for a new trial because he thought the jurors were influenced by their emotions after watching the video of the altercation.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jul/23/los-angeles-police-officer-jail-assault