The Los Angeles County district attorney’s
\noffice has quietly filed assault charges against three sheriff’s
\ndeputies accused of punching and kicking a jail inmate after he was
\ndisrespectful to a guard, according to court records.
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<\/br>Prosecutors
\nhave built their case around a sheriff’s deputy who told investigators
\nhe witnessed the beating and later met with other deputies to discuss
\nhow to cover it up, the records show.
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The charges mark a rare
\ncriminal filing against deputies working in the jails: It is the third
\nexcessive-force prosecution of jail deputies in a decade, according to
\nlaw enforcement records and interviews. Inmates frequently allege that
\ndeputies have used excessive force, but law enforcement officials say
\nsuch cases are difficult to prove or prosecute.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Inmate Gabriel
\nVasquez had a fractured cheekbone and injuries to his left ear, rib
\ncage and face in the January 2006 incident. Sheriff’s investigators
\ninitially discounted his claim that deputies caused the injuries,
\nconcluding that they were either self-inflicted or caused by other
\ninmates, according to court records.<\/p>\n