A California cop has been placed on paid leave after allegedly playing with a corpse's feet, the New York Daily News reports. The man had been shot and killed by police after leading them on a high-speed chase in November.

Mark Geragos, the attorney representing the family of the man who was killed, told the Daily News that Bakersfield police officer Aaron Stringer pulled on the deceased Ramiro James Villegas' toes while saying "tickle tickle," manipulated the dead man's head and told a trainee that he "loved" playing with dead bodies.

"We are grossly disturbed by the ghoulish behavior of the police," Geragos said. "The family wants answers and accountability."

The internal investigation into Officer Stringer's actions at the Kern Medical Center came to light on Friday after the Bakersfield Californian obtained reports describing the incident.

The 22-year-old Villegas was shot and killed after a high-speed chase ended when he slammed into a traffic light pole, got out of his car and approached police in what they described as an aggressive manner, the Californian reports. Villegas was unarmed.

Stringer had taken his trainee, Lindy DeGeare, to see the body after interviewing witnesses at the scene. According to the Californian, Stringer did not have permission to touch the body.

Image via Shutterstock. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.