This incident happened on March 10, 2021, at the San Fernando Courthouse. An inmate hit an MP, who then knelt on the detainee’s head and “restricted his breathing long after” the detainee stopped resisting, Limon claims. The MP’s actions, recorded on video, were reminiscent of those of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin against George Floyd, according to the legal complaint. The selection of jurors in the trial of Chauvin’s murder had begun the day before. But instead of following the proper procedures, Villanueva tried to prevent further action on the incident to avoid “bad media”, Limon claims. In a statement to CNN, the sheriff’s office said: “Due to multiple active investigations and two lawsuits, we are unable to comment further at this time. We look forward to presenting the facts in court.” Villanueva, who heads the country’s largest sheriff, will be re-elected in June.
Employee has a history of “reporting and articulating concerns”
Limon alleges he brought a video DVD of the Villanueva court incident around March 15, 2021, after learning it from other officers. After watching the video, Villanueva told her that the sheriff’s department “did not need bad media at the moment” and said it would “handle the matter,” the statement said. The sheriff then blocked an internal investigation and the filing of assault charges against the detainee involved in the incident because “Vilanueva knew that if charges were filed against the detainee, his lawyer would have access to the video and the public could see it. “, The claim claims. Limon also accused the sheriff of lying later when he initially watched the video to “fit a fake schedule”. The allegation states that Limon has a history of “reporting and concern” about the sheriff’s illegal conduct after the 2021 incident. This behavior includes the “sheriff’s habit of retaliating against dissidents and complainants”, using the department’s resources to “promote his political re-election campaign” and promoting people who were unqualified or found to have committed wrongdoing. or was under investigation. claims the claim. Limon is asking the county to pay $ 5 million in damages for what it claims was the sheriff’s retaliatory plan against her, including a four-point demotion.
Another official makes similar claims
The Los Angeles Times initially reported allegations of cover-up and published an excerpt from the video of the March 25 incident in court. Video taken by the Times shows an inmate hitting a lawmaker before holding him to the ground. While on the ground, the MP placed his knee on the detainee’s head, holding him there even after the detainee stopped resisting, was held by several police officers and handcuffed, according to the video obtained by the Times. The lawmaker held his knee to the detainee’s head for three minutes, according to the Times. In its original article, the newspaper reported an internal review by Governor Allen Castellano, who was critical of the way the case was handled. Ministry officials were concerned about the outlook for the case “given its nature and its similarities to the widespread use of force by George Floyd,” Castellano wrote in the review, adding that these officials decided not to prosecute. of the detainee to avoid drawing attention to the incident, according to the Times. A spokesman for the sheriff’s office said earlier that the sheriff found out about the incident in October and immediately ordered an investigation into the deputy, who was fired, the Times reported. In a press conference on Tuesday, the sheriff said he first saw the video of the incident in November and the October date given earlier by his officer was an estimate. Castellano was the first official to file a lawsuit this week, accusing Villanueva of obstructing justice, the Times reported. Like Limon, he claimed the sheriff watched the video a few days after the incident, according to the Times.
The sheriff attacks the journalist for covering up the story
In his press conference, Villanueva attacked and showed that the journalist who reported the case and the allegations of cover-up, Alene Tchekmedyian, was under investigation. The sheriff tried to drop the comments later in the day, saying in a department tweet that “at no point today did I say a LA Times reporter was a criminal suspect. We have no interest in pursuing or seeking to prosecute.” criminal prosecution of any journalists. ”Villanueva claimed without evidence that the media was strategically plotting to publish negative stories in order to thwart his re-election bid.
His remarks on Tuesday alarmed supporters of press freedom. Katherine Jacobsen, US-Canada Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, told CNN the journalists”.
“Journalists should not be insulted or threatened with investigation because they are simply doing their job and covering issues of public interest,” Jacobsen added.
In a press conference late last month, the sheriff also accused the Los Angeles County Inspector General of deliberately releasing negative information about the department just before Villanueva’s campaign began.
In a letter to the sheriff last month, Los Angeles County Inspector General Max Huntsman requested documents that had not yet been handed over to investigators as part of an “alternate gang” investigation into the sheriff’s office. In that letter, Huntsman said at least 41 lawmakers have so far been identified as gang members.
In a previous statement, Villanueva called the law enforcement investigation a “fishing mission and political theater”.
CNN’s Taylor Romine and Jason Kravarik contributed to this report.
