Miguel Vega and Christopher Hernandez: 2 ex LA-sheriff's deputies accused of violating civil rights in wrongful detainment of skateboarder
COMPTON, CALIFORNIA: Federal prosecutors are alleging that ex-LA sheriff’s deputies violated the civil rights of a skateboarder for illegally detaining him in 2020. A grand jury handed down the indictment in March, and the two former deputies Miguel Vega and Christopher Hernandez turned themselves in on Thursday, April 13. The court document identifies the victim as ‘J.A,’ who was allegedly thrown in the back of their cruiser and detaining him without cause in Compton in April 2020.
The 23-year-old skateboarder was in the vehicle when the two accused got into a pursuit and crashed the car. JA was injured in the accident, and Vega and Hernandez then tried to cover up the wrongful detention as per prosecutors. The duo now faces multiple charges, including conspiracy, deprivation of rights under color of law, witness tampering, and falsification of records. Vega is further charged with another falsification of records count. The Sheriff's Department said that the accused are no longer part of their department and it had helped federal agencies with a criminal investigation, which ultimately led to their indictment, as per ABC News.
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“The Sheriff’s Department is committed to holding employees accountable for their actions and expects them to exhibit the highest moral and ethical standards when serving our communities,” a statement released by the department said. It was Vega and Hernandez, who were involved in the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old man the same year while on a foot chase. As per records, Vega shot Andres Guardado five times in the back, escalating into protests, and the family was awarded $8 million in the lawsuit settlement. The deputies were on active duty until December 2020, as per the LA Times.
'JA suffered a cut above his right eye'
“The indictment alleges that these two deputies violated a young person’s constitutional rights by willfully and illegally detaining him without just cause. Officers who abuse their power must be held accountable, and my Office is committed to prosecuting violations of civil rights by those who violate their oaths and victimize those who they were sworn to protect, said US Attorney Martin Estrada in a news release.
As per the indictment, “Vega and Hernandez did not handcuff JA, did not secure JA’s seatbelt, did not tell JA that JA was under arrest, and did not inform JA of JA’s rights at any time,” according to the indictment. In the accident, JA suffered a cut above his right eye.