A newly released video is sparking fresh controversy over the 2021 arrest of a top Los Angeles County aide. Atty. Georges Gascon at a traffic stop in Azusa.
Gascón’s chief of staff Joseph Iniguez and his then-fiancé Arrested Late at night on December 11, 2021, they were suspected of public drunkenness and drunk driving.
Both Inigos and his then-fiancé were later released, but charges were never filed. Iniguez sued the department in January 2022, claiming his civil rights were violated during the stop.
The video, shot by Iniguez and obtained by The Times from the city of Azusa through a public records request, shows Iniguez arguing with police and claiming her fiance was handcuffed as he stood a few feet away. Didn’t do anything wrong.
“You parked the wrong car,” he tells police in the five-minute video. “This is not right,” he later added.
Police report released by the department in 2022 point out Police pulled Inigos over after his fiancé allegedly made an illegal U-turn and both the driver and passenger showed obvious signs of alcohol intoxication.
Azusa Police Department solves Inigos problem federal lawsuit He bought the product last July for $10,000, claiming at the time it was cheaper than going to try it out.
Both police and Iniguez claim the footage vindicates their respective interpretations of what happened that night in Azusa.
Azusa Police Chief Robert Landeros said in a statement provided to The Times that the department conducted an internal review and found that “the actions of the officers involved were fully consistent with the law and Azusa Police Department policy.” .
Landeros added that the city and department “firmly support our employees and the decisions made during this arrest.”
Landeros Tell KTLA TV station In an interview, he believed the video proved “that our officers were disrespected during the stop.” “This is not unusual. It’s troubling when it comes to public officials.
Iniguez’s attorney, Glenn Jonas, said in a statement that the video proves “without a doubt that Iniguez was 100 percent wrongfully arrested” and that he was arrested during the arrest. He was “clear-headed, calm, direct and in complete control” during the arrest.
“Mr. Inigos is a hero in my book,” Jonas said in an email, noting that the officer donated the settlement money to a nonprofit organization. “He made a false arrest and used it to protect the good citizens of Azusa who are now protected by body cameras because of him.”
Gascón’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
