A newly released video has generated fresh controversy over the 2021 arrest of a top aide to Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón during a traffic stop in Azusa.
Gascón’s chief of staff, Joseph Iniguez, and his then-fiance were arrested late on the night of Dec. 11, 2021, on suspicion of public intoxication and driving while intoxicated, respectively.
Both Iniguez and his then-fiance were later released from custody and charges were never filed. In January 2022, Iniguez sued the department, claiming his civil rights were violated during the stop.
The video, which was taken by Iniguez and obtained by The Times from the city of Azusa via a public records request, depicts him arguing with police and claiming his then-fiance, who stood handcuffed several feet away, did nothing wrong.
“You have pulled over the wrong person,” he tells the officers in the five-minute video. “This is not right,” he adds later.
Police reports released by the department in 2022 stated that the officers pulled over Iniguez’s fiance — to whom he is now married — after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn and that both the driver and passenger showed visible signs of alcohol intoxication.
The Azusa Police Department settled Iniguez’s federal lawsuit last July for $10,000, stating at the time that it was less expensive than taking it to trial.
Both the police and Iniguez claim the video vindicates their respective interpretations of the events of that night in Azusa.
In a statement provided to The Times, Azusa Police Capt. Robert Landeros said the department conducted an internal review that found “the officers involved acted in full accordance with the law and the policies of the Azusa Police Department.”
Landeros added that the city and department “stand firmly behind our employees and the decisions made during this arrest.”
Landeros told KTLA-TV in an interview that he believes the video proves “our officers were treated with disrespect” during the stop. “It’s not uncommon. It’s disturbing when it involves a public official.”
Glenn Jonas, an attorney for Iniguez, said in a statement that the video is evidence that “Iniguez was 100%, without a doubt falsely arrested,” and that he “was lucid, calm, direct and in full control” during the stop.
“Mr. Iniguez in my book is a hero,” Jonas said in an email, noting that the official donated the settlement money to a nonprofit. “He took a false arrest and used it to protect the good citizens of Azusa who are now because of him protected with Body Worn Cameras.”
Gascón’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Connor Sheets, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Sonja Sharp
Source link
