The Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Sheriffs Department has long faced allegations that the groups run roughshod over several stations, controlling commanders and glorifying aggressive policing tactics. She was assigned to the Los Angeles County Jail until transferring to the East LA Station in 2011 where she began training to become a patrol officer, according to court documents. Just a few months later, Deputy Gregory Rodriguez made one final attempt to recruit Deputy Mario Contreras to the gang. Alene Tchekmedyian is an investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times. In a retaliation lawsuit filed by a sheriffs lieutenant, a deputy associated with the Executioners testified last month that he had participated in deciding who could get a tattoo and had attended seven so-called inking parties. The other plaintiff deputies would provide assistance, despite the fact they would have to go outside of their respective areas of service. The pair demanded she immediately resign from her mentoring position, and she was removed the following day. Lieutenant David Infante, who previously worked at the East LA station and knew about the complaint, made it known to Lopezs supervising Sergeant, Veronica De La Rosa, that he didnt want Lopez at Century Station. She was very damaged by what happened, he tells Knock LA. None of them appear to have been disciplined for the shootings. But he has also taken credit for addressing the problem by instituting a policy that prohibits deputies from joining groups that promote behavior that violates the rights of others. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Soon afterwards, Zaredini was removed as an FTO and lost his bonus pay. On March 8, 2012, Barsh filed a Policy of Equity (POE), a practice that prohibits discrimination against County employees on a variety of bases, on Lopezs behalf and told Captain Henry Romero about the Banditos threats and harassment. The Banditos And Other LA Sheriff's Deputy Groups Are Now Being Investigated By The FBI, East LA Sheriff's Deputies File Suit Claiming Harassment, Violence By 'Banditos' Clique, Authorities ID Man Arrested In Killing Of LA Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell As Husband Of Housekeeper, Huntington Park Police Shot, Killed Man Who Had Both Legs Amputated: What We Know So Far, LAPD Chief Bans Thin Blue Line Flag From Police Station Lobbies, Patrol Vehicles, And Uniforms, Mayor And City Council Members Express Concerns After LAPD Releases Footage Of Fatal Shootings, New LA Sheriff Says He Thinks Deputies Are Ready For A Stabilizer. She said it's time the department take the elimination of deputy gang membership seriously.. In their claim, the deputies allege that Raymond Mendoza, Jonathan Rojas, Woodrow Kim, Juan Sanchez, and Luis Valle have recently served and continue to serve as field training officers (FTO). GET THE BEST OF LAIST IN YOUR INBOXSign up for our daily newsletter to receive the latest on local politics, food, culture and the absurdities of L.A. life. The Banditos are at least the third gang to emerge from the East LA Station. His return, along with the elevation of other Banditos associates, solidified the gangs grip on the station. Decisions such as station fundraisers and events must be roundtabled at the home of Noel Crook Lopez or Marc Elizondo. Many of those men were also members of the Banditos. In December 2013, Lopez was informed that if she didnt immediately request a transfer to Century Station, she would have to return to East LA. She was also regularly sent on calls with just a few minutes left on her shift. The lawsuit claims the department is "permeated by criminal gang culture" beyond the Banditos. It says they and others savagely beat and kicked Deputy Art Hernandez, leaving him unconscious, and that Deputy Oscar Escobedo was beaten by Munoz and strangled by Silverio, briefly losing consciousness. Villanueva told ABC7 on Tuesday, May 24, that the hearing was a political stunt that allowed witnesses to testify without cross-examination. Pushed him up against the police car. She had no assistants trying this case. ", Villanueva did He met his wife and the mother of his children in LA. A second investigation into the Kennedy Hall incident initiated by Sheriff Villanueva resulted in the termination of Deputies Gregory Rodriguez, David Silverio, and Sergeant Michael Hernandez, all members of the Banditos. Leaders, known as "shot-callers," determined deputies' hours, promotions, even days off. The suit also claims Banditos encourage deputies to increase their arrest numbers by planting evidence on suspects. Deputies Gregory Rodriguez, Monica Farias, Steven Miller, Alejandro Lomeli, and Marc Elizondo pounced. He informed her that she would be put on loan to Century Station pending the approval of her transfer, but refused to give her a copy of the paperwork. 3:20 p.m.: This article was updated to note that the Sheriff's Dept. Knock LA is a nonprofit community journalism project, originally conceived by Ground Game LA. Lemus supervisor, Hugo Reynaga, initially marked the matter as resolved. into that and other alleged cliques within the department. According to the complaint, Mendoza also conducted personal business while on duty and ordered her to do his work. The Banditos are a group of nearly 100 deputies who wear matching tattoos of a skeleton with a thick mustache, sombrero, pistol and bandolier, according to the suit. Rosa Gonzalez, a deputy who later sued the station, said under oath that she heard Lopez referred to as The Glob.. In a letter dated Monday, Inspector General Max Huntsman said his office has compiled a partial list that includes 11 deputies who allegedly belong to the When she asked Wargo what was going on, she was told that she was a trainee and to mind her business. But after Captain William Jaeger was named in the lawsuit, the write-up was resurrected and escalated to an Internal Affairs investigation. You meet up with us when we tell you to! Her answers didnt satisfy him and he told her, Fuck you! and, You are on your own! Around January 16, 2012, Deputy Benjamin Zaredini attempted to knock Lopez to the floor while she was carrying a loaded shotgun. Based on the information that I have, that is incorrect. . We had a captain that was gracious enough to take her in [his unit] and she just hid, says Gonzalezs attorney, Gregory Smith. In all, eight deputies are demanding $60 million in a new lawsuit against Los Angeles County and four fellow deputies they say are members of the "Banditos" deputy gang. What are you going to do? On December 23, 2011, Deputy Eduardo Sanchez, another Banditos associate, swore at Lopez and demanded that she meet up with him. There were sexual implications to his request and she told him that she would not meet up with him alone. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says he is working to rebuild the leadership team at the East L.A. Sheriffs station and address denounced rogue activity by a deputy clique called Los Banditos. According to KABC 7, a new captain at the East LA station aims to hold supervisors accountable for behavior that is out of policy. Immediately afterwards, then Banditos prospect Hector Little Listo Saavedra allegedly claimed Zaredini called him a homophobic slur over one year prior. At least four secret cliques or gangs of sheriffs deputies with names like the Banditos and the Executioners continue to operate and recruit within the L.A. When Zaredini did not follow the Banditos orders to pressure Gonzalez to leave the station, Mendoza knocked him unconscious behind the East LA Station. On August 23, 2012, LASD personnel descended upon the 1300 block of South Marianna Avenue in East Los Angeles. The lawsuit In a letter dated Monday, Inspector General Max Huntsman said his office has compiled a partial list that includes 11 deputies who allegedly belong to the Banditos, which operate out of the East L.A. sheriffs station, and 30 alleged Executioners from the Compton sheriffs station. July 19, 2021. Villanueva blamed the situation on "a leadership team that fell asleep at the switch.". Valdez appears to currently work as a sergeant at a different station. Once she arrived at Century Station, Lopez was assigned to the Youth Activity League, which significantly impacted her career prospects, according to her lawsuit. The next evening, LASD held a department-sponsored party at Kennedy Hall. Gray was detained again on October 15, 2012. Deputies based at the East L.A. station "have generated an excessive amount of stops and arrests in the community because of the pressure from the Banditos to inflate numbers, to satisfy illegal arrest quotas," the suit alleges. "Pretty much they were calling the shots, they were dictating the decisions of the station and that has a very bad outcome obviously," he said. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, assertions made in legal claims filed in March and May, A Los Angeles Family Seeks Answers And Accountability After Black Mom Dies In Childbirth, A Brief History Of Why It Does Occasionally Snow In LA. Zaredinis partner worked 12-14 hour shifts because he feared what would happen to Zaredini alone. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva was elected on the promise of reforming the scandal-plagued sheriffs department. The Banditos logo (Courtesy of Vincent Miller). If you're enjoying this article, you'll love my daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Banditos groom young deputies they are considering for membership in the group, assigning them mentors, the deputy said. The memo included an anonymous letter detailing the Banditos wrongdoings. the F.B.I. The Sheriffs wife, a retired LASD employee, allegedly put out messages telling deputy gang members to keep their heads up. The claims filed Thursday were brought by five young Latino deputies involved in the melee at the party and two veteran deputies who say they suffered retaliation after warning station officials about the Banditos. The Banditos now ran East LA. Twenty-four are currently stationed in East L.A. Villanueva did not respond to questions about the discrepancies. April Valentine died at Centinela Hospital. The lawsuit estimates 15-20% of the department's more than 9,000 sworn personnel are members of these cliques. Lemus, Contreras, Hernandez, and Escobedo were told they could move to another gang-dominated station, or a station far from their homes. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. He said he did not know how many deputies were identified as having tattoos and said the name Executioners was coined by an attorney. It describes members of the group as maintaining control by intimidation of other deputies and control of key positions, including dispatcher, scheduling deputy and training officer. Her case settled for $1 million in 2019. Escobedo and Hernandez were treated at a local hospital, Escobedo for "severe neck pain and strain, dizziness, and nausea due to lack of oxygen from being choked out," and Hernandez for a concussion and cuts that required sutures, the complaint alleges. Many who are not recruited go along with the gangs requirements for fear of retaliation. Lopez spoke with Sergeant Betty Lascono, who placed her on the schedule to return to work the following day. Will Orange County's Fledgling Clean Power Agency Survive? Over the past 30 years, litigation related to deputy gangs at the East LA Station has cost taxpayers more than $36 million. Knock Lopez to the floor while she was removed as an FTO and his. To an Internal Affairs investigation recruited go along with the gangs requirements for fear of retaliation the groups roughshod... Appear to have been disciplined for the shootings on duty and ordered her to do his work she! 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