The deputy who shot and killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado outside a car shop in Gardena was a prospective member of a violent clique inside the Compton Sheriffâs station, according to the sworn testimony of a whistleblower.
Miguel Vegaâs attorney did not respond to a request for comment but the law firm working with Guardadoâs family, Panish Shea and Boyle LLP, confirmed they are looking into the allegations.
What You Need To Know A whistleblower claims the deputy who shot and killed 18-year-old Andres Guardado was a prospective member of a violent clique within the Compton sheriff's station
Deputy Art Gonzalez said more than a dozen deputies have matching tattoos that identify them as "Executioners"
Sheriff Alex Villanueva is investigating the claims but said some of the allegations maybe exaggerated
Gonzalez is one of four whistleblowers who have come forward with similar stories of the station
âIt is very disturbing â to say the least â that gangs are commonly known to exist within the Los Angeles County Sheriffâs Department. These reports go to the heart of our concerns that the Sheriffâs Department promotes and harbors a culture of violence against the public. Make no mistake, we have every intention of conducting a thorough investigation into the potential involvement of any Sheriffâs Department gang in the shooting of Andres Guardado.â
More than a dozen deputies have matching tattoos and belong to a violent clique called the Executioners at the station, according to Deputy Art Gonzalez, who filed a whistleblower complaint regarding the Executioners in June.
âI now call them a gang because thatâs what gangs do â they beat up other people,â Gonzalez said.
His sworn testimony obtained by Spectrum News 1 is for a separate excessive force case filed against Los Angeles County. The deputies in the lawsuit are accused of âchasing inkâ â slang for trying to impress the Executioners to join their group.
âThere are parties after shootings. They call them â998 parties.â Some people say itâs to celebrate the deputy is alive. Others say itâs to celebrate that theyâre going to be âinkingâ somebody.â
Gonzalez, testifying for nearly six hours under oath, said the existence of the clique was âcommon knowledgeâ at the station and that the gangâs so-called shot caller controlled the work schedule and their actions boosted arrest numbers.
Earlier this month, Mayor Aja Brown called for state and federal investigations into the station.
âThey terrorize the community and then they cover their tracks,â Brown said.
This week, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he has not spoken to Brown about her concerns.
âWeâre trying to build bridges, not tear them down, and I donât think weâre going to achieve that with press conferences,â Villanueva said.
The sheriff said his department is investigating the claims and has already relieved two deputies of duty and transferred six others.
âWhen you say whistleblowers, know these are people that are suing and when theyâre suingâ¦you have to make the allegations as big as possible. Thatâs just part of the lawsuit process,â Villanueva said. âWhen you go to the actual hard facts and try to prove them, itâs a whole different animal.â
The attorney who compelled Gonzalez to testify, John Sweeney, has represented several families suing the county over wrongful death and excessive force cases stemming from the Compton Sheriffâs station.
âI am quite tired of going to funerals, sitting in living rooms..telling young kids their father is not coming back,â Sweeney said. âFamilies feel horrible. Itâs something that has to stop. Society has reached an inflection point.â
Gonzalezâs testimony casts a cloud over other cases, including the shooting of 18-year-old Andres Guardado, who was shot five times in the back by a sheriffâs deputy earlier this year. Gonzalez claims Vega was a prospective member of the Executioners.
Spectrum News 1 requested a comment from Vegaâs attorney but did not hear back.
As for Gonzalez, heâs now on leave from the department and in fear for his life, he said. His testimony has inspired two more deputies to come forward with similar stories of the Compton station.
TrollTollTony on August 31st, 2020 at 14:58 UTC »
For those, like me, who had no idea what the title meant.
TheDustOfMen on August 31st, 2020 at 14:41 UTC »
The article is infuriating, I hope they are smacked with the full weight of the US justice system:
Luckily, he ain't the only one who's come forward:
MacyL on August 31st, 2020 at 14:28 UTC »
Villanueva said his investigation has lead to two cops being relieved of duties and six cops transferred to other departments. What I don’t understand is, if an officer has done something that you believe is wrong and they should no longer be working at that precinct, what does moving them to a new precinct accomplish? Are they suddenly going to stop their way of thinking and change, or are they just going to treat the people in their new community the exact same way? It seems like Villanueva is just spreading the bad apples out, spoiling even more bunches.