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The Associated Press SANBERNARDINO ASouth- ern California sheriff placed 10 deputies on paid admin- istrative leave Friday after a TV station recorded several of them kicking and punch- ing a man following a 2½- hour chase during which the suspect rode away on a stolen horse. San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said the video "disturbed and troubled" him and ap- peared to show an excessive use of force. McMahon announced the action after 30-year- old Francis Pusok was ar- rested Thursday by depu- ties in a violent encounter filmed by a KNBC-TV he- licopter. Pusok fled by car and then on the horse, trav- eling several miles while deputies chased him on foot after trying to serve a search warrant in an iden- tity-theft investigation. The video shows Pusok, dressed in bright red cloth- ing, falling from the horse as a deputy ran up and fired a Taser. McMahon said the Taser was believed to be in- effective because of Pusok's loose clothing. As pursuing deputies reached him, Pusok was face down with his arms and legs outstretched and hands behind his back. One deputy kicked him in the head or shoulder area and punched him, and another kicked him in the crotch. Other deputies arrived mo- ments later. McMahon said internal and criminal investigations are under way. The FBI an- nounced Friday it was start- ing a civil rights investiga- tion. "I'm asking for some pa- tience while we complete a thorough and fair investi- gation," McMahon said. "I am disturbed and troubled by what I see in the video. It does not appear to be in line with our policies and procedures. "I assure you, if there is criminal doing on the part of any of our deputy sheriffs or any policy violations, we will take action." McMahon said the de- partment received multiple threats after the video was aired. He said names of the deputies, including a ser- geant and a detective, won't be released until the threats are checked out. Attorneys for Pusok told KNBC-TV Friday as they left the jail that their cli- ent has a badly swollen eye, marks from the beat- ing over his face and body, and is in pain. "He remembers being beat, and he remembers that he wasn't resisting, that he laid still, he com- plied immediately. He says that he didn't even move a muscle because he didn't want to be continuously beat, yet it still happened," attorney Sharon Brunner said. After the beating, a dep- uty whispered in his ear: "This isn't over,'" attorney Jim Terrell said. The American Civil Liberties Union released a statement saying it is "deeply troubled by the video images" and applaud- ing McMahon's call for an investigation. The beating is the latest in a string of recent vid- eotaped incidents involv- ing police officers using ex- treme force on suspects, in- cluding the shooting death of an unarmed man as he ran from a police officer last weekend in North Charles- ton, South Carolina. Ken Cooper, a New York- based use of force expert who trains police, said it appears the San Bernardino deputies allowed their emo- tions and adrenaline to get the best of them. "When chasing a flee- ing suspect, in high stress, you have to control that," he said. "The justification for using force is to gain com- pliance from the suspect, and the suspect seems to be complying. So what this looks like is those blows are not justified, they're not necessary and they're not professional." Cooper said the officers should be disciplined, re- trained to deal with stress, and the video should be used for training. Pusok has a slew of ve- hicle code violations and pleaded no contest to sev- eral criminal charges, in- cluding multiple instances of resisting arrest, at- tempted robbery, animal cruelty and fighting or of- fensive words, according to San Bernardino County Su- perior Court records. HORSE CHASE DeputiesputonleaveinviolentCaliforniaarrest DAVIDPARD—THEVICTORVALLEYDAILYPRESS Law enforcement personnel search for a suspect who stole a horse and fled into the mountains near Deep Creek in Apple Valley on Thursday. The Associated Press CHILOQUIN, ORE. Tribes are tracing the migration route of Klamath Basin salmon with a 260-mile re- lay run from the ocean to a tributary that has not seen a salmon in a century. Runners start May 29 at the mouth of the Klam- ath River in Northern Cal- ifornia and finish June 1 in Chiloquin, Oregon, on the Sprague River. Runners will pass dams slated for removal years ago to allow salmon to reach their old spawning grounds, but which remain in place due to political opposition. The Klamath, Karuk, Yurok and Hoopa Valley tribes are inviting the pub- lic to the run, and a salmon bake at the end. Klamath Tribes spokes- woman Taylor David says if the salmon cannot make the journey physically, it is the responsibility of people to lead the way spiritually. KLAMATH BASIN Tribes trace salmon migration with relay run By Elliot Spagat The Associated Press SAN DIEGO A 16-year- old transgender girl who spoke on YouTube about being bullied at school in Southern California killed herself, a support group said, raising questions about what educators can and should do to support students who change gen- der identity. Taylor Alesana was con- stantly picked on by peers before taking her life last week, the North County LG- BTQ Resource Center said. "With few adults to turn to, and with no support from her school, her life became too difficult," the group said. "Taylor was a beautiful and courageous girl, and all she wanted was acceptance." Alesana attended meet- ings at the center and was very supportive of other transgender teens, said Max Disposti, the group's executive direc- tor. She posted a series of online videos describing her daily experiences and struggles. Alesana had a strong re- lationship with her coun- selor at Fallbrook High School, north of San Diego, but school administrators "didn't take the necessary steps," Disposti said Fri- day. They never contacted his organization, even af- ter a Thursday night vigil at its Oceanside office that was attended by Alesana's parents and about 200 oth- ers, he said. Fallbrook Union High School District Superin- tendent Hugo Pedroza said in a statement that a student died tragically on April 2. "It is never easy when something like this happens, but we are work- ing to move forward to- gether and stronger than before," he said. Alesana is the second transgender teen who sought services at the North County LGBTQ Re- source Center to die by suicide since March, Dis- posti said. A boy who took his life last month had a supportive environment at home and school, but he struggled with other is- sues, including his moth- er's death. Alesana was unusu- ally vocal about the chal- lenges of being a transgen- der teen. "She was very outspo- ken and had incredibly positive energy," Disposti said. "She was helping oth- ers as she was struggling." SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA San Diego-area transgender teen kills herself a er bullying YOUTUBE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Taylor Alesana gives tips on makeup in one of a series of online videos describing her daily experiences and struggles as a transgender girl in this image from a YouTube video. The Associated Press SANFRANCISCO Vice Pres- ident Joe Biden visited a power plant in Oakland, California, on Friday and spoke with veterans en- rolled in a job-training pro- gram as part of a two-day swing through the Bay Area. Biden spoke with 15 stu- dents in Pacific Gas & Elec- tric'sworkforcedevelopment program before a broader press event where he spoke about the importance of workforce development, es- pecially for veterans, ac- cording to remarks released by the White House. Employment among vet- erans is improving, even as problems remain, he said. "The good news, ladies and gentleman, is that America is back," Biden said. He praised PG&E's train- ingprogram,whichprepares people for careers as utility workers,welders,gas-service representatives and other jobs. Since 2008, the pro- gram has trained more than 600 students, and about half ofthemareveterans,accord- ing to the company. Thevicepresidentgavehis speechbeforeutilityworkers and other elected officials. He ignored a question shouted at him about a $1.6 billion penalty levied against PG&E this week for a deadly 2010 pipeline explosion that rocked San Bruno, a suburb south of San Francisco, The Sacra- mento Bee reported. The company has said it would not appeal the penalty. Afterward, Biden crossed back over the Bay Bridge and stopped for lunch at The Melt, a grilled cheese sand- wich shop in downtown San Francisco. He ordered a classic grilled cheese and a side of tomato soup. Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, arrived in the Bay Area Thursday evening. The vice president at- tended a political fund- raiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, while his wife visited De Anza Commu- nity College in Cupertino to highlight the adminis- tration's commitment to two-year colleges. VICE PRESIDENT Biden talks about workforce training during Bay Area visit PAUL CHIN — SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Vice President Joe Biden, le , speaks with Lauren Gonzales, a veteran and a student, during a workforce development program at a PG&E Service Center in Oakland on Friday. 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