LOS ANGELES — In one video, the sound of a Taser going off is followed by a man screaming in pain. In another, footage from a security camera on a public bus, riders describe police officers beating a man to death in graphic terms. “They beat him up, and then all the cops came and they hogtied him, and he was like, ‘Please God, please Dad!,’ ” one said.

The death of Kelly Thomas, a homeless man with mental illness, after an encounter with members of the Fullerton Police Department in California has set off a furor in this Orange County community, amid allegations that six police officers used excessive force to try to quiet Mr. Thomas.

At a City Council meeting this week, hundreds of angry residents assailed their elected officials, calling the Police Department corrupt, demanding the resignation of the police chief and promising to recall several council members.

“There was a lot of fear and anger and shock,” said Bruce Whitaker, a Fullerton council member. “Homeless individuals are concerned for their own safety, and they have nowhere else to go.”