Chaos erupted in East Los Angeles as a video capturing sheriffs in a violent scuffle with a 34-year-old amputee went viral. Alejandro Hernandez was pinned to the ground, one deputy clenching him in a chokehold while the other was caught on camera punching him repeatedly in the face during what should have been a routine arrest on November 20, according to KTLA.
The bone of contention sprouted from the deputies' belief that Hernandez, whom they identified as an active gang member, was concealing something in his waistband. A loaded 9mm gun would later substantiate their suspicions. Yet, the footage paints a harrowing picture, with bloodied knuckles and cries from family members echoing pleas of humanity. In a statement obtained by ABC7, Gabriela Ortega, Hernandez's mother, lamented, "He's a human being. I understand they're doing their job, but there was no need for that brutality that they did, the beating that they gave him."
Community outrage was further fueled by lawyerly accusations of law enforcement's attempt to suppress claims with resisting arrest charges. Christian Contreras, Hernandez's attorney, suggested to KTLA that such charges are a strategic smokescreen, stating, "They did that because many people don’t know that if you plead guilty to a crime, then you cannot sue the police or the government." The LASD has announced a review of the incident. Meanwhile, Hernandez remains behind bars, facing allegations of ex-felon with a firearm and battery on a police officer.
The East L.A. County Sheriff's Station was previously under fire in a 2019 lawsuit for alleged harassment by deputy gang members known as The Bandidos, a specter that gnaws at public trust. Aracely Covarrubias, a local, told KTLA about the notoriety of these gangs within the sheriff's department. Protests outside the sheriff's station bear witness to a community's cry for change, while oversight commissions are left to juggle public outcry and formulate policies that will curtail such forceful encounters.
Returning to the distressed Ortega, her resolve, shared with FOX 11, encapsulates the heartache and fury coursing through the veins of East L.A., "As a mother, I'm going to do everything in my power that it takes to get these deputies held accountable. It's just not right." The LASD maintains assurance of a rigorous investigation.
