Los Angeles County is poised to pay $8 million to settle a civil suit brought by eight sheriff's deputies who say they were harassed, assaulted, and discriminated against by members of an alleged deputy gang known as the "Banditos." The case traces back to an off-duty brawl near Kennedy Hall in East Los Angeles in September 2018 that plaintiffs say left some deputies hospitalized and others fearful for their safety. The settlement was recommended by the county Claims Board and placed on the Board of Supervisors' April 7 agenda.
Board recommendation and payment plan
The County Claims Board recommended the $8,000,000 settlement, and county materials direct the Auditor-Controller to draw the payment from the Sheriff's Department budget, according to documents from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Claims Board agenda. Those filings were posted with the Board ahead of the April 7 meeting.
What the suit alleges
The complaint, filed in September 2019, names eight deputies assigned to the East L.A. station and describes what they say was a pattern of harassment, threats, and physical violence orchestrated by the Banditos. Court papers and reporting say members allegedly "sucker-punched" Art Hernandez, knocked him unconscious, and kicked him while he was down, and choked Oscar Escobedo until he lost consciousness, along with allegations of withheld backup, forced unpaid overtime, and denied promotions. Those allegations and the broader timeline have been summarized in reporting on the case by the Los Angeles Times.
County response and public pushback
County lawyers have argued the government should not be held liable for off-duty conduct at a voluntary event, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Daily News. At the same time, public commenters who filed written remarks with the Board urged supervisors not to approve what one filer called an $8 million "damage control" payout without a public Summary Corrective Action Plan explaining what went wrong and what reforms will stop deputy-gang behavior. Those comments were lodged with the Board and are part of the public record for the April 7 agenda item; see the public comment filings from Los Angeles County.
Why this matters
Oversight agencies say the Banditos case fits a decades-long pattern: the Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General notes more than $54 million in settlements related to alleged deputy cliques and has been part of broader inquiries into those groups, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Inspector General. The Civilian Oversight Commission and state lawmakers have pushed reforms, including laws and recommendations meant to ban law-enforcement gangs and require cooperation with outside investigators, as civil-rights groups pressed for policy change alongside any damages, according to the Civilian Oversight Commission.
With the Claims Board recommendation on record and the settlement item on the April 7 agenda, the matter now rests with county supervisors and legal counsel, even as plaintiffs' attorneys and oversight advocates press for enforceable corrective steps. Plaintiffs say the payout would help their clients move on; opponents say accountability requires a clear plan showing how deputy-gang behavior will be stopped for good.
