A former Veterans Affairs Police Department (VAPD) officer was sentenced to one year in federal prison for hitting an unarmed man with a baton approximately 45 times in 41 seconds, authorities announced Friday.
Juan Anthony Carrillo, 46, of the Alhambra, received the maximum statutory sentence for the crime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to the report, at approximately 4 a.m. on January 16, 2022, another VAPD officer took the 34-year-old victim, referred to only as RV in court documents, into custody for the first time at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center. did.
According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, prosecutors said the victim was not taken into custody and was seen walking around the grounds of the medical center carrying a clear glass pipe, which officers suspected was drug paraphernalia. did.
Carrillo arrived to help and struck RV up to 45 times in about 41 seconds with a VAPD-issued baton while RV screamed in pain, according to the Department of Justice.
“Most, if not all, baton attacks were committed while another police officer was on top of the unarmed victim,” the Justice Department reported.
Additionally, the Justice Department noted that Carrillo weighed approximately 60 pounds heavier than RV, and that the deputy officer was approximately 8 inches taller and weighed 85 pounds more than the victim.
“As a result of the beating, the victim sustained injuries including cuts on both legs and a fracture in his right leg,” officials said.
On July 26, 2024, the Department of Justice announced that Mr. Carrillo pled guilty to one misdemeanor count of color of law deprivation, specifically using excessive force as a law enforcement officer.
The current status of the victim or other officers involved was not immediately released by the Justice Department.
