Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Los Angeles Deputy Says Colleagues Are Part of Violent Gang
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
August 5, 2020

Share

COMPTON — A violent gang of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies who call themselves “The Executioners” control a patrol station in Compton through force, threats, work slowdowns and acts of revenge against those who speak out, a deputy alleges in a legal claim.

Austreberto Gonzalez, a former Marine and a sheriff’s deputy since 2007, said in a notice of claim ahead of a planned lawsuit that the gang retaliated against him for months after he anonymously reported a fellow deputy for allegedly assaulting a coworker in February “to further the reputation of the gang.”

Gonzalez later received a text message with a photo of graffiti at the station, he said. The graffiti allegedly said, “ART IS A RAT.”

On Tuesday, Councilwoman Michelle Chambers said she saw the graffiti at the station as recently as last week. It has since been removed, she said.

Chambers said at a news conference that it’s unacceptable Compton residents are still dealing with reports of excessive force in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody last May.

Chambers, as well as Compton Mayor Aja Brown and City Attorney Damon Brown and others, called on the state attorney general’s office and the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the sheriff’s station.

Other community members at the news conference told stories of their interactions with deputies, which ranged from disrespectful exchanges to motor vehicle stops to arrests.

Gonzalez’s June 23 claim was first reported by The Los Angeles Times on Thursday.

The allegations against the Compton deputies follow accusations of other gangs in the department — called the Spartans, Regulators, Grim Reapers and Banditos — that also share tattoos and a history of violence, the Times said.

Compton Has Contracted With the Sheriff’s Department Since 2000 to Provide Law Enforcement for the City

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said last week during a Facebook Live event that “there is no gang of any deputies running any station.” But he later issued a statement saying he takes the allegations seriously “and recently published a policy specifically addressing illicit groups, deputy cliques, and subgroups.”

The statement said the issue is being investigated.

Another departmental statement, issued after the Compton news conference on Tuesday, said multiple investigations are underway — including one by the FBI.

Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, said she could not confirm or deny the existence of a potential investigation into the Compton sheriff’s station.

The state attorney general’s office also said “to protect its integrity, we are unable to comment on a potential or ongoing investigation.”

Compton has contracted with the sheriff’s department since 2000 to provide law enforcement for the city. The $22 million annual contract is in the third year of a five-year agreement, officials said.

Gonzalez estimates that there are 20 “inked” members of the Executioners gang in the station, and another 20 who are prospective members or close associates.

The “inked” members have matching tattoos — “a skull with Nazi imagery, holding an AK-47” — that indicate their affiliation with the gang, Gonzalez alleged in his claim. There are no Black or female members.

The deputy also accused the gang of threatening work slowdowns by disregarding radio calls or responding to them slowly, as well as instituting illegal arrest quotas, if they did not get their desired schedules or assignments.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

UP NEXT

Border Patrol Said It Targeted Known Criminals in Kern County. But It Had No Record on 77 of 78 Arrestees

Smittcamp Warns Fresno Supervisors About New Copper Theft Law. Bredefeld Wants to Take a Risk

3 hours ago

Border Patrol Said It Targeted Known Criminals in Kern County. But It Had No Record on 77 of 78 Arrestees

4 hours ago

‘World-Class Nightlife’: CA Lawmakers Try Again to Extend Last Call to 4 AM

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Enjoy closing down a California bar at 2 a.m.? By Yue St...

2 hours ago

2 hours ago

‘World-Class Nightlife’: CA Lawmakers Try Again to Extend Last Call to 4 AM

3 hours ago

Fresno County Passes Ordinance to Punish Copper Wire Thieves

3 hours ago

Fresno Native Denise Whisenhunt Returns Home to Lead City College

3 hours ago

Smittcamp Warns Fresno Supervisors About New Copper Theft Law. Bredefeld Wants to Take a Risk

Border Patrol Sgt. Gregory Bovino
4 hours ago

Border Patrol Said It Targeted Known Criminals in Kern County. But It Had No Record on 77 of 78 Arrestees

4 hours ago

Eyewitnesses Recount Deadly Israeli Attack on Medics in Gaza

5 hours ago

How High Will the Thermometer Climb This Week in Fresno?

5 hours ago

Visalia Man Admits to Selling Machine Guns to Undercover Agent

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend