On Wednesday, three deputies of Los Angeles County were convicted of beating a handcuffed visitor at a county lockup, the deputies tried to cover up the beating by fabricating a story.
Before convicting ex-Sgt. Eric Gonzalez and deputies Sussie Ayala and Fernando Luviano ,for assaulting a jail visitor Gabriel Carrillo, on Feb. 26, 2011, it was deliberated for less than four hours by a U.S. District Court jury in downtown Los Angeles.
The weeklong trial focused on the arrest of Gabriel Carrillo on February 2011, Carrillo had come with his girlfriend and grandmother to visit his brother,an inmate in the Men's Central Jail.
He and his girlfriend were handcuffed and taken into custody after deputies found Gabriel Carrillo carrying a cellphone in the waiting area, which is a violation of jail regulations.He was then attacked by the guards. But the three guards conspired to deny the assault.
The deputies were set on Nov. 2 to be sentenced, the hearing held on Wednesday determined that the deputies should be taken into custody pending their sentencing.
Sheriff Jim McDonnell, said in a statement: "When an employee engages in acts of dishonesty or mistreats members of our community, he or she acts contrary to our mission. This verdict - and the past acts of a few - should not be viewed as a reflection of the integrity, dedication and deep commitment to public service by the many members of this department."
The defense attorneys attempted to convince the jury that the case really centered on a bad-tempered and a violent man trying to sneak a cellphone into the jail's prohibited area. When the guards began booking him for the misdemeanor offense,he then attacked and spat upon the guards.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Rhodes said, "This is a case about conspiracy, deprivation of rights and falsification of records - it is not about a cellphone,'' Rhodes added: ''This is about what happened to (Carrillo) when taken into that small, windowless break room.''
