A California man who served in the Veterans Affairs Police Department was sentenced Friday to 12 months in federal prison after beating a man outside the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Juan Anthony Carrillo, 46, of Alhambra, used his department-issued baton to hit a homeless man about 45 times in 41 seconds during the 2022 incident, according to a Justice Department news release.
In July, Carrillo pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law by using excessive force as a law enforcement officer.
The charge was a misdemeanor.
“Officers owe a special duty and have a special obligation to keep the trust of the citizens they police,” Judge Wesley L. Hsu said at the sentencing
The Justice Department release said Carrillo was hit with the maximum sentence allowed.
The release said the incident took place at about 4 a.m. on January 16, 2022.
The 34-year-old victim had been detained by another VA police officer when Carillo arrived and issued the beating.
“Most, if not all, of the baton strikes were delivered while the other officer was on top of the victim, who was unarmed,” the release said.
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The release said the victim was about 60 pounds lighter than Carrillo.
The release said the victim was about 85 pounds lighter than the other officer involved in the incident, who was also eight inches taller than the victim.
The victim suffered a broken bone in his right foot and cuts to his legs.
At the time of the incident, the victim held a clear glass pipe that was suspected of being drug paraphernalia, a sentencing memo filed in federal court said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
After the incident, Carrillo’s “baton no longer retracted, even after he repeatedly banged the baton into the concrete pavement in an attempt to collapse it,” prosecutors wrote in the memo.
The indictment against Carrillo said he lied to justify his actions by claiming the man was violently kicking Carrillo’s legs.
“We deeply appreciate the difficult jobs faced every day by law enforcement officers, the vast majority of whom act with professionalism and integrity,” U.S. District Attorney Martin Estrada said last year when Carrillo was indicted.
“But when an officer acts in a manner that violates the civil rights of another person, we will respond to uphold the rule of law and maintain public trust in our system of justice,” Estrada said.
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