"Skeletons, which is a symbol of death, there were flames coming out of . Compton City Attorney Damon Brown sent a letter to the LASD demanding the removal of Vega and Hernandez. (Google Maps). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. . County attorneys have argued that Gonzalezs testimony about the Executioners was nothing more than speculation and conjecture, as hes not in the group and has no personal knowledge about it. The charges against Alegria were dropped at a preliminary hearing. The allegations come as the Compton station faces criticism over several high-profile incidents. The description of the suspect was minimal: a Black person in a blue beanie driving a Silver Pontiac. Chelsea Kai Roesch. They know whats going on. Downtown L.A stabbing sends six to hospital; suspect arrested, San Diego Roman Catholic diocese facing yet another lawsuit from its insurance company, K-Pop isnt the only hot ticket in Koreatown how trot is captivating immigrants, Los Angeles is suddenly awash in waterfalls, The Week in Photos: California exits pandemic emergency amid a winter landscape. ", "Compton Executioners deputy gang lied about guns and hosted inking parties, deputy says", "L.A. County deputy alleges 'Executioner' gang dominates Compton sheriff station", "The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Is Looking Into Whether Deputy Cliques Act Like Gangs", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Compton_Executioners&oldid=1134535589, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 January 2023, at 04:50. We would hardly ever see a unit in the booking line with, you know you know, with suspects in their back seats. Meanwhile, other deputies, who are members of the Executioners, were given preference for preferred work schedules and assignments, according to the claim. Were going to call it, and a gun was never recovered.. During his time away from the station, Alcala texted him a photo of graffiti in a very visible place in the Station which read: ART IS A RAT. Gonzalez also spoke with Captain LaTonya Clark about the gang and his fear of retribution. Contreras was placed on the list for promotion to the rank of Sergeant. They chased him until they found him hiding in a backyard, where Lockett says he surrendered. One slowdown occurred in 2019 when shot caller Juarez confronted Station Lieutenant Larry Waldie Jr. and demanded that Waldie replace the current Training and Scheduling Deputy with Executioner Deputy Anthony Bautista. Market data provided by Factset. And, presumably, the clique would not be issuing membership cards, or taking minutes at membership meetings, or doing anything else that normal, lawful organizations do. Juarez took this as an opportunity to control the operation of the station. On June 18, 2020, at 5:53 PM, Guardado was standing outside of the body shop talking to two people parked in a white Lexus. Deputy Michael Vega had been trained by Deputy Contreras, an Executioner who harassed Gonzalez, WitnessLA reports. pic.twitter.com/Mj4FZcUsRL, Gonzalez attended a press conference organized by the National Lawyers Guild in response to the treatment of protesters on September 11, 2020. Sweeney says that the gang is racist. Artists in Ho Chi Minh City. The most recent inking event Juarez said he was present for was a year and a half or two years ago. "This . An attorney for the boys family suggested the deputy planted the weapon. When he returned, he told Operations Lieutenant Ruiz that he had been the one who made the complaint and wished to remain anonymous. Part of A Tradition of Violence, an extensive investigation into more than five decades of abuse, terror, and murder carried out by gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. WitnessLA reports that all three deputies were Executioners. Compton Deputy Samuel Aldama speaks at a deposition where he reveals his tattoo associated with the Executioners. Waters seeks federal probe of L.A. County deputies' alleged Executioners gang", "The Executioners: Does a Violent Deputy Gang Rule LA County's Compton Station? Vega accelerated towards them as they scattered. Knock LA is a nonprofit community journalism project, originally conceived by Ground Game LA. The complaint was never investigated. Following the meeting, Alcala, Guzman, and Gonzalez were placed on traffic duty. They are accused of acting against their fellow deputies and the people to better their own standing in the organization. Los Angeles, Calmes: Heres what we should do about Marjorie Taylor Greene, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids, Randall Emmett, Ambyr Childers settle domestic violence restraining order dispute. The county settled the case with Taylor's family for $7 million. The commanders knew it, the captain knew, they just didnt do anything about it., Locketts case against the County is still pending. Instead he submitted a declaration saying that if he was called to testify, he would invoke his Fifth Amendment rights and not answer questions. Gonzalez said in the deposition that Jaime Juarez, a deputy he identified as the Executioners shot caller, carried out a work slowdown last year when the acting captain refused to install a member as scheduling deputy. Gonzalezwas never asked to join, Romero said. After Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael P. Vicencia ruled that Aldama and Orrego had to reveal whether they knew the names of deputies who have matching skull tattoos at the Compton Station, the County settled the case for $7 million, funded by taxpayers. This Los Angelesrelated article is a stub. The gang celebrates deputy shootings and threatens work slowdowns when given unpreferred assignments, according to the claim. [3] Rand Corp., a nonprofit research agency, has also been studying the clique culture and plans to publish its report in January. Alegria begged the deputies to let him leave, and Vega told him to, Get the fuck out of here.. While Aldama never used the word "Executioners," or explicitly admitted affiliation, he claimed that about 20 other deputies at Compton had the same tattoo, according to the lawsuit. Gonzalez believes that Battles was punished for their association with each other. Deputy Vega does not have one single tattoo on his body, much less a deputy gang tattoo, his attorney Adam Marangell said. Deputies continued to receive their full salaries for completing little-to-no work. The tattoos were given by four or five different artists at different people's homes, he said. "Piru" is also a popular choice as it's derived from the gang's original name "Compton Pirus" after their L.A. territory. complaint Alegria filed against the County. In July 2021, U.S. Congressional Representative Maxine Waters called for a Department of Justice inquiry into the existence of the gang.. Members of the 'Executioners' are deputies operating out of the Compton station of the LASD. [2][7], Members of the Executioners identify themselves with a calf tattoo depicting a skeleton wearing a Nazi-style helmet labeled "CPT" and holding a Kalashnikov rifle with '28' in Roman numerals on the magazine. The revelations were disturbing to observers who watched the department try to implement reforms following a jail abuse and corruption scandal that ultimately led to the convictions of several high-ranking officials including former Sheriff Lee Baca and his undersheriff, Paul Tanaka, who was a tattooed member of the Vikings. The judge hearing the case cited the evidence when tentatively deciding to advance the case for trial. Aldama said he was one of as many as 20 deputies selected to get the same tattoo after working hard by making arrests and answering calls. He also said that any future meetings would have to be done somewhere other than the Compton Station. Black and females deputies are not allowed to join, the claim said. L.A. County settled a lawsuit brought by Taylors family for $7 million. follow. The existence of such fraternities has sparked multiple internal investigations and recently a federal probe by the FBI, but the groups have remained entrenched, with many civil liberties advocates accusing the Sheriffs Department of turning a blind eye. And you can quote me on that.. Although the names have changed, these groups all participate in the systematic terrorization of the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. The "Executioners" network, according to a report on July 30 in the Los Angeles Times, is composed of sworn law enforcement officers who all have matching tattoos featuring "a skull with . Deputies outfitted in riot gear surrounded the small group that had gathered and barricaded them in. Deputy Jaime Juarez, the so-called shot caller who succeeded Toone as commander of the Executioners, was then the Training and Scheduling Deputy. His screensaver showed a black and white photo of a Sheriffs Department vehicle surrounded by people who appear to be detained. L.A. Affairs: My divorce isnt contagious. Mapping Deputy Gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Sweeney says that an expert tattoo artist testified the design appears to come from a stencil. Gonzalez says he was forced to take paid family leave. Los Angeles County settled with Taylor's family for $7million Deputies that day pulled up to Lockett outside his godmothers home and jumped out of their car with their guns drawn because they said he matched the description of a shooting suspect. Theres a psychological phenomenon where your life is being threatened, you either fight or you run. He alleged that one of the deputies rammed the end of a police baton into his eye socket, which caused permanent damage, and that he was kicked in the back of the head. A whistleblower from the Compton Station (CPT) of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department claims that more than 20 of 100 active deputies are part of a violent and brutal police gang The Executioners.Deputy Art Gonzalez, a decorated Marine Corps veteran, filed a claim in June claiming that a fraternal police organization had infiltrated CPT. Andrs also worked as a security guard for Street Dynamic Auto Body in Gardena. [4] County sheriff's deputy photographed as part of an excessive-force lawsuit. Representatives Maxine Waters and Nanette Diaz Barragn released a joint statement calling on then California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to independently investigate Guardados killing. On August 25, 2016, Samuel Aldama, a sheriff's deputy from the Compton station with an Executioners tattoo, and his partner fatally shot Donta Taylor, an African American man walking on the sidewalk . Gonzalez said hed never been invited to nor attended one. In June 2020, TMZ captured three Compton deputies severely beating a man. But often, Gonzalez said, after the party, the deputy and his partner will get inked. On August 25, 2016, Aldama and Orrego were assigned to a gang suppression detail, a unit assigned to areas the department deems have high gang activity during the summer months. "The gang controlled the scheduling, and therefore even having a sick child that needed nonstop medical care was secondary to making sure the gang members got their preferred shifts,"Alan Romero, an attorney representing Gonzalez in hisclaim against the county, told Fox News in a statement. The Executioners maintain control of the Compton Station by instituting work slowdowns in response to policies they dont like. Violence committed to further the gangs agenda is rewarded with permission to skip shifts. View all. Alcala was previously slated for a promotion to the Special Assignments Office, but Leos informed the Sergeant in command of the office not to give Alcala the transfer. He was investigated by Los Angeles police in 2012 on an allegation of sexual misconduct. Romero alleges that the same image was found on a mouse pad and pencil holder at the station desk of someone belonging to the Executioners. At the hospital, Alegria said a deputy forced him to sign a citation for being under the influence of meth in order to be released. Retired Court of Appeals Judge Candace Cooper found that she felt it wasnt necessary to call more witnesses and obtain more evidence, concluding the matter. In Compton, the Executioners ruled the station using a similar structure, Gonzalez testified. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He sued in 2018. 1. new covid vaccines in the pipeline . Thatcher called a meeting with deputies to tell them he was happy with the results of his illegal policy. After being admitted to the gang, it said, an officer received its . During a video deposition, Deputy Art Gonzalez testified that 15 deputies at the Compton Sheriff's Station belong to 'The Executioners.'. The skeleton holds a rifle marked with the Roman numeral for 28, surrounded by flames. peterbilt 379 hood roller bracket. They know it was you, Gonzalez recalled being told. Department officials stated at the time that the hold could last months to years, depending on the investigation and the agency. An independent report concluded Guardado had been shot five times in the back. "This was a practice that punished all patrol Deputies that either refused to join the gang or otherwise resisted the gangs far-reaching influence at the Station.". He claims the members ink themselves with tattoos featuringNazi imagery, a laughing skeleton and an AK-47. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Vega and Hernandez approached Alegria, grabbed him by the wrist, and threw him in the back of their patrol car. He denied being part of a club. The investigation found that 11 deputies in the East L.A. sheriff's station are in the Banditos gang, and 30 members of the Executioners gang are in the Compton sheriff's station. It was one of the first instances of retaliation that continued for months, exacted by the Executioners, a band of deputies with matching tattoos that wields vast power at the Compton station, he alleged in a claim filed against Los Angeles County. Austreberto Art Gonzalez started working for the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department in 2007. The officers had matching "Executioners" tattoos to show allegiance to the faction. Legal Statement. LA County residents also footed the bill for attorney fees on both sides. Lucas said in a statement, I believe that government can do its part by being more timely and more transparent in sharing information that the public demands and has a right to see. He ruled Guardados death a homicide. Andres ran down the driveway, got on his knees and put his hands behind his head. The deputies said that they took him into custody and transported him in a manner outside of policy because they were afraid the group would try to help Alegria. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles County sheriff's Compton patrol station "has been permeated" by a violent deputy gang called the "Executioners," according to a new legal claim. Its supposed to be theyre stopping a threat, not punishing for something., Just got teargassed. On Tuesday, the department said itlaunched "multiple investigations" into the matter. He requested another week off work out of fear. In reality, theyve never seen the gun, L.A. County Sheriffs Deputy Austreberto Gonzalez said under oath. The Sheriffs Department said the FBI is now involved in an investigation of the Executioners. He was a talented football player who earned a college scholarship. The powerful position, which Juarez had previously held, controls scheduling, days off and overtime, Gonzalez said. "Deputy Vega does not have one single tattoo on his body, much less a deputy gang tattoo," his attorney Adam Marangell said. Gonzalez feared violent retribution at the hands of the gang, so he took several days off work. It said one of the gangs, The Executioners, which operated in Compton, held celebrations at bars after officers shot somebody. Grim Reapers, Banditos and Jump Out Boys. WitnessLA reports that the Executioners were founded by former 2000 Boy Andy Toone, who appears to no longer be working at the Compton Station. "Deputy Gonzalez was never asked to join the Executioners, as the gang identified prospects as those Deputies most likely to engage in violence or shootings," he said. Since 1990, the county has paid out nearly $55 million in "subgroup related judgments," including $21 million in the past decade alone. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Gonzalez says the scheme is employed in Compton by tattooed deputies who call themselves the Executioners, the clandestine gang many say runs the station. In Compton, the Executioners ruled the station using a similar structure, Gonzalez testified. LA police station 'taken over by "Executioners" gang with Nazi tattoos who make illegal arrests', whistleblower cop says Mollie Mansfield Published : 22:37, 4 Aug 2020 One person was hit in the shooting and a radio call went out for an attempted murder. He saidhe also represents three other deputies who've made similar allegations of abuse and discrimination by the clique. Video of this coming pic.twitter.com/CLUDUfCYBO. The Executioners have cost the County of Los Angeles at least $7 million, and the tab and body count continue to grow. Captain Clark told him he could immediately start working at the East LA Station, home to the Banditos gang. Andrew Haney, who worked at the body shop and witnessed the shooting, told LA Taco that Guardado got to his knees and was shot by a deputy. Two deputies who said they were assaulted and knocked unconscious are among those facing discipline for policy violations that include failing to report the Kennedy Hall incident to superiors, their attorney Vincent Miller said. In 2017, Gonzalez said, the Compton station captain at the time had turned to that deputy to boost arrest statistics after the captain was reprimanded for low numbers at the station. 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 . Jorge Gonzalez, an attorney for the case, tells Knock LA that he has every reason to believe the deputy gang influenced the actions of the LASD that day. In May, Dalvin Price was beaten by three deputies, and in JuneAndres Guardado, 18, was killed after being shot five times in the back. 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Of 100 patrol deputies in Compton Station, 40 are alleged to be affiliated with the gang. Even so, he says, Aldama punched him in the head five times while using the N-word. Gonzalezs statements were introduced in an excessive-force lawsuit filed against the Sheriffs Department by Sheldon Lockett. Deputies were heavily criticized in 2005 after firing about 120 rounds at a moving vehicle driven by an unarmed man, who was shot four times. Gonzalez testified that he feared for his safety from the clique. nbcsn spectrum channel raleigh nc; daniel cusimano disney; ronnie lott age. Look up: The 32 most spectacular ceilings in Los Angeles, Winter storms ease drought conditions in California, report shows, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, David Lindley, guitarist best known for work with Jackson Browne, dies at 78, Best coffee city in the world? Los Angeles County Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas defied Villanuevas order and released the report in July 2020. On April 13, 23-year-old Jesus Alegria was at Wilson Park skateboarding when Deputies Miguel Vega and Christopher Hernandez drove up in a patrol vehicle. Their 18-year-old son Andrs, a recent high school graduate, was studying at Los Angeles Trade Technical College. LASD 'Executioners': Compton mayor says deputies have 'terrorized the community for decades' . Deputies with alleged ties to these cliques, which are accused of using violent and aggressive tactics similar to those of criminal street gangs, have cost taxpayers $55 million in settlements and payouts in incidents that date to the 1990s, according to county records obtained by The Times. Average arrests per deputy in Compton went up from 2.5 arrests per month to 7. Gonzalez says this placed him further at risk because the entire station now knew the investigators were there. one of between ten and twenty deputies at the Compton station with the same tattoo Gonzalez has . In 2016, Gonzalez attempted to get time off of work in order to care for his daughter. Taylor fled down a nearby trail overlooking a water runoff. The deputies told different versions of what happened next. Legal Statement. Nearly all the CPT Deputies who have been involved in high-profile shootings and out-of-policy beatings at CPT in recent years have been inked members of The Executioners, the claim alleges. He noted that heremoved the entire leadershipofthe East Los Angeles station when he was confronted with allegations abouta group of deputies in a similar clique after taking office in 2018. Members each have a tattoo of a skeleton wearing a Nazi helmet emblazoned with the letters CPT. [2][5][8] The 'CPT' stands for "Compton" and the '28' represents Compton as the LASD's 28th substation. He also said that after the shooting, the alleged law . On January 20, 2016, Lockett was charged with attempted murder. She came from the Advocate, based in Baton Rouge, La., where she was the lead writer on a team that won an Investigative Reporters and Editors award for stories revealing the financial dealings of the long-serving warden of the notorious Angola Prison. The deputies stated in a report that they stopped Taylor because he was wearing a red hat with the letter C on it, which they believed symbolized the Cedar Bloc Piru gang. The gang obtained a recording of his phone call placing the complaint. Were not going to put a pause or stop on anything unless the court tells us. The following month, Vega and Hernandez were suspended from the Department for crashing their vehicle with Jesus Alegria in the back. Recruits are reportedly chosen for the gang based on their propensity for violence against members of the community. In 2019, for example, the county paid out $7 million to settle a wrongful death claim filed by the family of a man shot and killed by a deputy with an Executioners tattoo. There has been an uptick just in the last 15 years of these police shootings. The district attorneys office declined to file charges. Hernandez climbed out of the vehicle and began to chase a few of the kids on foot. This is five years post arrest, he still has those same unabated symptoms.. 40, which he explained as a reference to his retirement in 2040. This is an atomic bomb that has been dropped on law enforcement, John Sweeney, an attorney who represented Taylors family, said of Gonzalezs claim. It was a photo of graffiti scrawled on a dial pad at the stations parking lot entrance: ART IS A RAT, it read. The FBI, however, has been interviewing deputies over the last year about whether clique members are actively violating civil rights of the public with false reports or violence. These deputies share a tattoo, which features a skeleton . By "deputy gangs," Ometeotl appeared to refer to 'the Executioners,' a gang of deputies reportedly at the Compton station of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. When Gonzalez complained to his supervisor, Lieutenant Ruiz, he told Gonzalez that he could make another complaint to IAB. He added later: So we call it ink chasers because theyre out there trying to show the rest of the members, the rest of the inked members that, you know, theyre worthy of that tattoo.. I call that a gang. According to a complaint filed against the County, Vega and Hernandez parked their patrol vehicle next to the drivers side of the Lexus and quickly got out. I stood with protestwrs holding my press badge. You know, theyll call it a day and say, Thank you for rolling. Compton Executioners. Similar deputy gangs have flourished in minority communities forseveral decades, according toLoyola Law School professor andLos Angeles County Civilian Commissionmember Sean Kennedy. The County and the City of Los Angeles has been nicknamed the "Gang Capital of America," with an estimated 450 active gangs with a combined membership of more than 45,000. Compton Deputy Samuel Aldama was forced to reveal his tattoo during a deposition about the Taylor case. When Gonzalez returned from his time off he was approached by Scheduling Sergeant Frank Barragan, who reprimanded him for using paid family leave to care for his daughter. The Compton Executioners is a deputy gang within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD). When he reported another deputy to Internal Affairs for assaulting a colleague behind the station, the phrase "ART IS A RAT" was scrawled on the keypad to the station's parking lot entrance, the claim says. His allegations add to a growing body of information about the Compton clique, one of several tattooed deputy groups within the Sheriffs Department with names such as the Grim Reapers, Banditos and Jump Out Boys. Lockett alleges he was targeted by deputies chasing ink when he was beaten and falsely arrested for attempted murder in 2016, his attorneys said. One month later, inked Executioner Edwin Barajas failed Battles out of the training. When he said that he did, he wasnt given any. It was alleged in the filing that the 'Executioners' function at the Compton station with "impunity". Gonzalez alleged that Compton station deputies "become inked as 'Executioners' after executing members of the public, or otherwise committing acts of violence in furtherance of the gang." Vargas would routinely make misdemeanor arrests and immediately release the person in the field to skew arrest statistics as a favor to Thatcher. Orrego was discharged from the department in 2017. The case against Lockett was eventually dismissed. n which members are accused of misconduct. Many work at night, the claim says, and communicate through WhatsApp. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. In his letter, Huntsman noted that members of the Banditos were alleged to have been involved in a fight among deputies that broke out at Kennedy Hall in East L.A . Tattooed in Ho Chi Minh City. Because he wasn't a member or a prospect, Gonzalezwas allegedly passed up for better assignments and not given a better work schedule so he could care for his daughter, who has medical needs. Deputies said Taylor had a handgun, but no weapon was found. Obviously, these rogue officers are not going to simply admit that they had formed an unlawful group bent on assaulting minorities, the judge wrote. The Banditos are linked to the East Los Angeles station, while the Executioners, according to Huntsman's letter, are "a deputy gang based out of the Sheriff's Department's Compton Station." Members of the Banditos can be identified by their signature tattoos of a skeleton wearing a sombrero .