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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy pleaded no contest Tuesday to two felony assault charges stemming from the shooting death of a 34-year-old man in East Los Angeles in full view of his relatives, with the man's family objecting to the plea deal.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold said he "agonized over whether it was the right thing to do," but said he believed the plea agreement reached between the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the defense in the case of Remin Pineda "does comport with justice."
Pineda, 40, was immediately sentenced to two years probation, ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and undergo one year of psychological counseling, give up his certification as a peace officer and write an apology to the family of David Ordaz Jr. as a result of his plea to one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault by a public officer.
The judge suspended a 180-day jail sentence that Pineda could face if he violates the terms of his probation.
The case stemmed from the March 14, 2021, shooting death of Ordaz, whose relatives said he was in the midst of a mental health crisis at the time.
Ordaz's family members pleaded with the judge not to move forward with the plea agreement.
"... We do not agree with it," the victim's sister, Hilda Pedroza, said, pleading with the judge to "give him something more."
"We're not asking for him to rot in jail," she said, telling the judge that she was imploring him to give Pineda "what he deserves."
"I don't want an apology from him," Pedroza said. "It's not going to mean anything to me."
The victim's father, David Ordaz Sr., said through a Spanish interpreter that he didn't think the plea deal was fair.
"I would like him to spend some time in jail," he said, noting that his son had left "three children without a dad" behind.
"I ask that you do justice," he added.
One of the victim's daughters, Emily, urged the judge to deliver justice "to the man who killed my father."
The judge called what happened a "tragedy," but said "this incident unfolded in the blink of an eye."
"He made this decision to fire that last shot in less than a second," the judge said of Pineda, whom he said is "not the typical felon that comes in here."
Two other potential plea deals since the case was filed had been scuttled.
Sheriff's deputies went to the family's home in response to a call from Ordaz's relatives, who reported he was suicidal and had a knife, authorities said.
Two deputies initially fired bean-bag rounds at Ordaz when he walked toward them while holding the knife, according to a statement released by the District Attorney's Office shortly after the case was filed against Pineda in 2022.
Ordaz allegedly continued to advance on deputies with the knife, drawing gunfire from multiple deputies, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Pineda was accused of continuing to fire his weapon after Ordaz had fallen to the ground and dropped the knife.
Video of the shooting was posted on YouTube. The sheriff's department also later released body-camera footage from the shooting scene.
The family's federal lawsuit against the sheriff's department contends that deputies used excessive force.
"In fact, the coroners report shows that all of the bullets except two, struck him on the back and on the side and the final bullet as visualized in the video shows a helpless David Ordaz Jr. looking up from the pavement without any weapon, and the killing shot was fired into his chest," the lawsuit alleges.
Body-worn camera footage indicates at least 10 rounds were fired, including a single shot fired immediately after the flurry of gunfire had stopped and Ordaz was lying face up on the sidewalk, holding his shoulder.
Then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in 2021 that he had "grave concerns" about the circumstances of the shooting.
In a statement released after the case was filed, the sheriff's department said it submitted the results of its investigation to the District Attorney's Office Justice System Integrity Division for review and relieved Pineda of his peace officer powers.
His current status with the sheriff's department was not immediately available