Federal officials said they are investigating the actions of a U.S. Marshal who was caught on video snatching a California's woman's cellphone out of her hand and then stomping on it with his foot.

Beatriz Paez filed a complaint Wednesday with police in South Gate, just south of Los Angeles, over the incident. According to her, she was using her cellphone to record police activity in her neighborhood last Sunday while standing on a public sidewalk.

Although the marshals asked her to stop recording, she told them she had a constitutional right to film the activity.

That's when a deputy U.S. marshal walked toward her, grabbed her cell phone out of her hands and slammed it to the ground. He then smashed it with his foot.

At one point in the video Paez says to the mashal, "You're making me feel unsafe. I have a right to be here," notes CNN.

The incident was recorded by another woman with a smartphone camera who was standing across the street. The second woman then posted the footage on YouTube.

"South Gate police determined that the officer involved is employed by the United States Marshals (Service), and their staff is aware of the incident," said South Gate police Capt. Darren Arakawa.

According to CBS Los Angeles, the ACLU of Southern California also released a statement Tuesday concerning the disturbing video.

"There is no situation in which an officer can intentionally grab and destroy a camera being used to lawfully record law enforcement. The officer's conduct is a blatant and deliberate violation of the Constitution and his duties as an officer to abide by the law. Members of the public, on a public street, unquestionably have a First Amendment right to record law enforcement officers, acting in the course of their duties. Indeed, as recent events have shown, video recording of law enforcement activity plays a crucial role in holding police accountable for misconduct -- particularly in California, where public access to information about officer misconduct is limited by state law," the statement said.

The U.S. Marshals Service remains on duty.