Documents obtained by KFI News show the department’s view of the timeline of events surrounding a use of force incident that happened on March 10, 2021, at the San Fernando Court Lock-up. An LA County Sheriff’s Deputy was seen on video placing his knee on the neck of an inmate who had just attacked the deputy.
Former department employees Robin Limon, Allan Castellano and Lajuana Haselrig have all filed lawsuits alleging, among other things, Sheriff Villanueva fabricated the timeline and lied about when he actually found out about the incident. The lawsuits allege Villanueva was panicked about the video, and the possibility it could turn into a scandal on the heels of the George Floyd video, which shows a Minneapolis police officer with his knee on the neck of Floyd.
Sheriff Villanueva held a press conference on April 26, 2022, to discuss the timeline. He also mentioned the video that leaked from the department was a criminal act and the source of the leak was being investigated.
An internal document dated May 1st, 2022, titled, Factual Overview – San Fernando Court Use of Force Incident was written by chief of staff John Satterfield and is addressed to Undersheriff Tim Murakami. The narrative outlines the events of March 10th, and includes observations, legal precedent, and excerpts from the department’s policy manual. The document also shows digital evidence was obtained through the department’s Cyber Crimes Bureau – it outlines when the video was played, from what device and the user.
Here is the document. The department has redacted portions of the documents. But department sources have told me the information includes personal calendar details, handwritten notes by the inmate who was seen in the video and reference to a command level employee who was already under investigation for misconduct before this incident happened.
I reached out to the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs (ALADS), the largest union for deputies in the department. The membership had recently endorsed Sheriff Villanueva for the upcoming election. I had been told because of this controversy; the board was getting a little skittish about its endorsement. I was also told the president of the board had received a copy of the internal document. I received the following statement from board president, James Wheeler:
ALADS stands by its endorsement of Sheriff Alex Villanueva. We do have questions concerning recent revelations and have shared those concerns directly with his office and campaign. As with any elected official we endorse, ALADS leadership will continually assess their performance.
In the press conference on April 26th, Sheriff Villanueva mentioned there was evidence his version of events was accurate though he wouldn’t elaborate. Perhaps this document outlines that evidence?