Two former Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies Miguel Angel Vega, 32, and Christopher Blair Hernandez, 37, are set to face arraignment on federal charges related to an incident at a skatepark where they alleged to have violated the civil rights of a young skateboarder.
According to reports, The incident started at Wilson Park in Compton, where the victim – identified in court documents as "J.A." – was in an enclosed skatepark when two officers encountered the young man who was skateboarding.
After the victim yelled at the deputies to stop bothering the skaters, one or both defendants pulled J.A. through an opening in the skatepark fence. As per the indictment, they confined J.A. in the back of the patrol vehicle.
The deputies took him along, riding in the backseat without a seatbelt. They chased a bicyclist but ended up crashing the vehicle.
The 23-year-old skater was injured, sustaining a cut above his eye. Instead of helping him or reporting the incident, they told him to "get the f**k out of here."
"They grabbed him and threw him into the car without handcuffs," said attorney Humberto Guizar, who represents the skateboarder. "Just threw him into the backseat of the car, just drove off, and they threatened to drop him off in a gang neighborhood."
The skateboarder, Jesus Alegria, has already settled with Los Angeles County for $450,000.