Alcala was previously slated for a promotion to the Special Assignments Office, but Leos informed the Sergeant in command of the office not to give Alcala the transfer. The deputies, Samuel Aldama and Mizrain Orrego, radioed that Lockett had a gun, which he says was a lie. And, presumably, the clique would not be issuing membership cards, or taking minutes at membership meetings, or doing anything else that normal, lawful organizations do. His life was cut short while he was working one evening shortly after an encounter with Deputies Vega and Hernandez. Haney also told LA Taco that deputies searched the body shop without a warrant and destroyed several surveillance cameras. We have a gang here that has grown to the point where it dominates every aspect of life at the Compton station, said Alan Romero, an attorney representing Gonzalez in the claim, which is a precursor to a lawsuit. The deputy didnt actually see a gun, but his suspect could turn out to be armed and an arrest or recovered firearm could pad his reputation. . Deputies claimed he had a weapon but none were recovered. On October 25, 2019, Deputy Gonzalez was promoted to Field Training Officer. Members each have a tattoo of a skeleton wearing a Nazi helmet emblazoned with the letters CPT. A band of Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies with matching skull tattoos represent what many in the community see as a criminal gang within law enforcement. In Compton, the Executioners ruled the station using a similar structure, Gonzalez testified. Nhi.Ink Ho Chi Minh City. . university of southern maine accelerated nursing program acceptance rate He also said that after the shooting, the alleged law . Content Warning: This series explicitly details acts of violence (including murder) carried out by law enforcement officials. Black people and women are not allowed to join. The district attorneys office declined to file charges. Andrs Guardado, 18. Nearly all the CPT Deputies who have been involved in high-profile shootings and out-of-policy beatings at CPT in recent years have been inked members of The Executioners, the claim alleges. Attorneys and witnesses gathered outside South LA Station a few days later to speak about the incident. . Juarez took this as an opportunity to control the operation of the station. On that basis, Lockett was arrested and taken into custody. Ultimately, Gonzalezs transfer request was denied. Hes also the parent of a young daughter with a severe medical condition that requires constant care and attention, which placed him on a special work schedule. The sheriff's department has long been plagued by allegations of cliques composed of deputies forming what civil rights activistssee as criminal gangs. In May, Dalvin Price was beaten by three deputies, and in JuneAndres Guardado, 18, was killed after being shot five times in the back. He says the whole incident could have been avoided if the Department had followed up on the complaint filed by Locketts mother. Gonzalez said in the deposition that Jaime Juarez, a deputy he identified as the Executioners shot caller, carried out a work slowdown last year when the acting captain refused to install a member as scheduling deputy. Alegria begged the deputies to let him leave, and Vega told him to, Get the fuck out of here.. Legal Statement. Taylor fled down a nearby trail overlooking a water runoff. The Master Training Officer told Gonzlaez that he had done his job well. All rights reserved. The solution, as city leaders saw it, was to hire the Sheriffs Department to patrol the streets, a move advertised as a way to have more sophisticated policing that would save the city $7 million a year out of its $20-million budget for policing costs. Gonzalez filed a claim against Los Angeles County in June that alleged that roughly a fifth of the 100 deputies at the Compton Station (CPT) are part of the gang. After a shooting, members will have a party at a bar and call it a 998 debrief, referencing the code for a deputy-involved shooting. Alegria walked away and said that a family unloading groceries from their car gave him water and let him call his father. [3], Members of the Executioners are deputies operating out of the Compton station of the LASD. No gun was ever recovered. Deputy Art Gonzalez , who worked in LASD for five years, is the whistleblower who filed a government claim . Deputies that day pulled up to Lockett outside his godmothers home and jumped out of their car with their guns drawn because they said he matched the description of a shooting suspect. When Gonzalez returned from his time off he was approached by Scheduling Sergeant Frank Barragan, who reprimanded him for using paid family leave to care for his daughter. If you have an emergency or you want to make sure that every deputy hears your conversation with the dispatcher, you ask for the patch and they patch you into every deputy on duty in Compton. Gonzalezs statements were introduced in an excessive-force lawsuit filed against the Sheriffs Department by Sheldon Lockett. The county settled the case with Taylor's family for $7 million. "The gang controlled the scheduling, and therefore even having a sick child that needed nonstop medical care was secondary to making sure the gang members got their preferred shifts,"Alan Romero, an attorney representing Gonzalez in hisclaim against the county, told Fox News in a statement. Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas defied Villanuevas order and released the report in July 2020. Ryan Casey, one of the attorneys representing the family, tells Knock LA that the case has been delayed because of the ongoing criminal investigation. Juarez did not respond to a request for comment. Gonzalez says he was forced to take paid family leave. Deputy Gang within the Los Angeles Sherrif's Department, "Rep. Fox News Flash top headlines for August 3. Their 18-year-old son Andrs, a recent high school graduate, was studying at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Obviously, these rogue officers are not going to simply admit that they had formed an unlawful group bent on assaulting minorities, the judge wrote. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The proceeding was intended to be a judicial examination of the incident. A WHISTLEBLOWER cop has claimed that his LA police department has been taken over by a gang known as the 'Executioners' - who bear Nazi tattoos and make illegal arrests. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He was a talented football player who earned a college scholarship. [2][7], Members of the Executioners identify themselves with a calf tattoo depicting a skeleton wearing a Nazi-style helmet labeled "CPT" and holding a Kalashnikov rifle with '28' in Roman numerals on the magazine. A few weeks after the implementation of the policy, Lieutenant John Wargo held a briefing and told deputies their arrest statistics were too low. WitnessLA reports that the Executioners were founded by former 2000 Boy Andy Toone, who appears to no longer be working at the Compton Station. You know, theyll call it a day and say, Thank you for rolling. Los Angeles, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute. The county settled the case with Taylor's family for $7 million. Compton Deputy Samuel Aldama speaks at a deposition where he reveals his tattoo associated with the Executioners. Samuel Aldama, a tattooed member of the Executioners, testified under oath that he had ill feelings towards African Americans. As Aldama and Orrego chased Taylor, they requested to broadcast over Patch that they were chasing a man with a gun, just as they did with Sheldon Lockett. Those who dont comply with the gangs way of doing business receive non-preferential assignments. So well never know the absolute truth.. They then began to punch and kick him repeatedly. Aldama admitted under oath to having a tattoo on his calf depicting a skull with a rifle and a military-style helmet emerging from flames. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. We have a booking line. Deputies with alleged ties to these cliques, which are accused of using violent and aggressive tactics similar to those of criminal street gangs, have cost taxpayers $55 million in settlements and payouts in incidents that date to the 1990s, according to county records obtained by The Times. Each of the wounds had lethal capacity. Legal Statement. It was a photo of graffiti scrawled on a dial pad at the stations parking lot entrance: ART IS A RAT, it read. The judge hearing the case cited the evidence when tentatively deciding to advance the case for trial. Xonya Ho Chi Minh City. Donta Taylor, it was night in a desolate, backwashed section of Compton and death sealed his lips. Compton Deputy Samuel Aldama was forced to reveal his tattoo during a deposition about the Taylor case. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy alleges a claim in the department's Compton station called the Executioners retaliated against him for reporting misconduct. Los Angeles, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute. Why are people treating me this way? Alvin Chong Compton has long had a troubled history with law enforcement. The letters CPT, for Compton, appear on the helmet. Following The Times reporting, Compton officials issued formal requests to the state and federal attorney generals to investigate allegations of pervasive civil rights violations. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Representatives Maxine Waters and Nanette Diaz Barragn released a joint statement calling on then California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to independently investigate Guardados killing. In 2019, for example, the county paid out $7 million to settle a wrongful death claim filed by the family of a man shot and killed by a deputy with an Executioners tattoo. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, At least 5 people shot near San Pedro beach, Safety concerns and weather conditions hamper San Bernardino County relief efforts, ICE detainees allege retaliation for speaking about medical conditions at Otay Mesa center, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Californias snowpack is approaching an all-time record, with more on the way, This is me, this is my face: Actress Mimi Rogers on aging naturally, without cosmetic surgery, Officials unprepared for epic mountain blizzard, leaving many trapped and desperate. He doesnt trust police officers. The cop house cliques were first brought to light in a civil case brought by the family of Donta Taylor, a 31-year-old man who was fatally gunned down during a foot . . Jorge Gonzalez, an attorney for the case, tells Knock LA that he has every reason to believe the deputy gang influenced the actions of the LASD that day. Their attorneys said Wednesday that those allegations are false. After months of continued retaliation against him, Gonzalez filed a claim against L.A. County that alleges it was the doing of a powerful gang in control of the Compton station called the "Executioners" whose members were some of the deputies that sported matching tattoos containing Nazi-type images and an AK-47. Violence committed to further the gangs agenda is rewarded with permission to skip shifts. I take these allegations very seriously and recently enacted a policy specifically addressing illicit groups, deputy cliques, and subgroups, he said, referring to measures he enacted in February that prohibit deputies from participating in cliques. Alegria says that the deputies did not radio in about the chase. A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy alleges a claim in the department's Compton station called the Executioners retaliated against him for reporting misconduct. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against the deputies who Miller says attacked his clients. In a Facebook video last week, Sheriff Alex Villanueva denied a gang of deputies were running the Compton station when asked specifically about the Executioners. As he stood out on the front lawn with two friends, Aldama and Orrego drove up in their patrol vehicle. The powerful position, which Juarez had previously held, controls scheduling, days off and overtime, Gonzalez said. County sheriff's deputy photographed as part of an excessive-force lawsuit. Her decision essentially means the Sheriffs Departments account of Guardados death will be the official version until and unless its revisited during a trial. In June, a claim filed by Deputy Sheriff Austreberto Gonzalez against Los Angeles County said that a gang which calls itself the Executioners consists of a fifth of the 100 deputies at the Compton Station (CPT). L.A. Affairs: My divorce isnt contagious. The county has denied the allegations. After being admitted to the gang, it said, an officer received its . The Compton Executioners is a deputy gang within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). There has been an uptick just in the last 15 years of these police shootings. Chelsea Kai Roesch. No gun was found. Gonzalez, 42, joined the department as a deputy in 2008. The tattoos are allegedly awarded for killing a civilian, and given out at parties. He filed a suit against the County, which is pending. The "Executioners" is made up of about 20 deputies with another 20 prospects or associates, according to the claim. He saidhe also represents three other deputies who've made similar allegations of abuse and discrimination by the clique. The complaint was never investigated. In his deposition, Gonzalez identified Miguel Vega, the Compton station deputy who killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado in a shooting in June that sparked weeks of protests, and his partner, Chris Hernandez, as prospective members of the Executioners. Illegal quotas resulted in deputies more than doubling their arrest numbers each month, which meant the violation of the civil rights of hundreds of residents, the claim states. Part of A Tradition of Violence, an extensive investigation into more than five decades of abuse, terror, and murder carried out by gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Leos allegedly raised his voice and told the deputies, You should have known Do your job, Im trying to save your career. Alcala told Leos that doing his job meant completing service calls for the community. ", Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By "deputy gangs," Ometeotl appeared to refer to 'the Executioners,' a gang of deputies reportedly at the Compton station of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. Since 1990, the county has paid out nearly $55 million in "subgroup related judgments," including $21 million in the past decade alone. The claim says the group sporting tattoos of a skull with Nazi imagery and an AK-47 celebrates deputy shootings and the induction of new members with inking parties.. But Waldie was later overruled and Juarez returned to Compton. "This . Between March and April 2020, Gonzalez says Barragan called him and said that he was going to be placed on the early morning shift. Vega had inadvertently trapped himself and was unable to open his door, so the deputy climbed out of the window and onto the hood of the car. The position theyre taking is making it difficult to get discovery. But Casey says his firm is determined to expose the truth. On June 21, 2020, about 500 protestors gathered at the intersection of Figueroa Street and West Redondo Beach Boulevard to march to the Compton Sheriff Station. Even so, he says, Aldama punched him in the head five times while using the N-word. While Aldama never used the word "Executioners," or explicitly admitted affiliation, he claimed that about 20 other deputies at Compton had the same tattoo, according to the lawsuit. The Compton Executioners is a deputy gang within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). The county settled the case with Taylor's family for $7 million. All they had to do was investigate to see that these officers were untruthful. Sweeney discovered Locketts case in the course of investigating this fatal shooting. The County alleges that the victim positively identified Lockett as the shooter. Gonzalez alleged that Compton station deputies "become inked as 'Executioners' after executing members of the public, or otherwise committing acts of violence in furtherance of the gang." Vargas would routinely make misdemeanor arrests and immediately release the person in the field to skew arrest statistics as a favor to Thatcher. It was one of the first instances of retaliation that continued for months, exacted by the Executioners, a band of deputies with matching tattoos that wields vast power at the Compton station, he alleged in a claim filed against Los Angeles County. In 2017, after Gonzalez returned, Compton Station Captain Michael Thatcher allegedly implemented an illegal arrest quota policy, where deputies were instructed to arrest people for misdemeanors that would not ordinarily result in a citation, let alone arrest. Uncategorized . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Elisa and Cristobal Guardado fled violence in El Salvador stemming from the Salvadoran Civil War and raised a family in the city. Market data provided by Factset. Deputies Samuel Aldama and Mizrain Orrego stated in court documents that a driveby shooting took place at 910 Spruce Street in Compton, CA, at 3:05 PM. He was warned by another deputy to be careful. According to Gonzalezs claim, he and two other deputies complained in 2017 that they were being improperly punished with undesirable assignments for not meeting illegal quotas and were told by a sergeant, Yes, you should have known that by now, according to the claim. The Taylor family lawsuit was settled for $7 million last year. Lockett was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and other gun charges and spent eight months in jail. They broke all the cameras and took the DVR, which they pulled a warrant for after the fact. "Piru" is also a popular choice as it's derived from the gang's original name "Compton Pirus" after their L.A. territory. Compton Executioners. "This was a practice that punished all patrol Deputies that either refused to join the gang or otherwise resisted the gangs far-reaching influence at the Station.". Twenty-five years from now, youre watching the news and some smart law student from Stanford in the Innocence Project [comes out with] Sheldon Lockett comes with gray hair and a beard. He tells Knock LA that Lockett is in horrible condition today and suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. At the Compton sheriffs station, its called a ghost gun: a weapon a deputy says he spots on a suspect but that is never found when colleagues respond to the scene and search for it. But he denied that gangs exist within the Sheriffs Department. He requested another week off work out of fear. The allegations have revived long-standing concerns that inked deputy groups with monikers such as the Spartans, Regulators, Grim Reapers and Banditos operate out of several Sheriffs Department stations and represent what many in the community see as criminal gangs within law enforcement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Sweeney says that an expert tattoo artist testified the design appears to come from a stencil. Furthermore, Gonzalez claims the punishment was served to him by the Executioners, a group of deputies with the same tattoos, which are a powerful force at the Compton station, the LA Times reports. Barragan also told Gonzalez that, there are two ways to do this, you can voluntarily not take trainees and the other way is we start documenting, which Gonzalez understood to mean that unless he accepted the demotion, Barragan would start the process of documenting Gonzalez for discipline, setting him up to be fired. Mapping Deputy Gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Aldama said he was one of as many as 20 deputies selected to get the same tattoo after working hard by making arrests and answering calls. Ortega joined in, and Lockett says that both of the deputies called him a racial slur. As they drove, the deputies spotted a group of teenagers on bikes. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has embraced deputy gang culture for the past 50 years. As pictured below, the Executioner's tattoo depicts a skull wearing a Nazi helmet with "CPT" on front and a rifle encircled by flames. [4] Knock LA has reported that the gang consists of around 80 members. In August, prosecutors dropped charges because of insufficient evidence and after a witness testified that she was mistaken when she identified him, according to a district attorneys office spokeswoman. Aldama was transferred to another station, and appears to be working as a deputy today. Sheldon Lockett lived in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles. He denied being part of a club. Several local government officials issued statements on the shooting. The next day, two investigators came to the station unannounced and requested to speak with Gonzalez at the front desk. Knock LA is a nonprofit community journalism project, originally conceived by Ground Game LA. On April 13, 23-year-old Jesus Alegria was at Wilson Park skateboarding when Deputies Miguel Vega and Christopher Hernandez drove up in a patrol vehicle. According to the complaint, deputies on scene stated they were looking for a gun. Deputies refused to partner with him, while an inked deputy in dispatch saddled him with calls. These deputies share a tattoo, which features a skeleton . 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L.A. Affairs: My divorce isnt contagious. This is five years post arrest, he still has those same unabated symptoms.. Mary Starks told KCAL9 that her son had been riding his bike to get her cigarettes, as was his custom, when he was killed. In Compton, the Executioners ruled the station using a similar structure, Gonzalez testified. Juarez was reportedly part of a reform effort put forward under former Sheriff Jim McDonnell that stationed deputies who had been involved with multiple on-duty shootings behind a desk. Los Angeles County settled with Taylor's family for $7million A vast majority of members and prospects, he said, have been involved in high-profile shootings or beatings.