Ex-deputy sentenced to federal prison for falsely imprisoning skateboarder
A former deputy will spend the next two years of his life in federal prison after he tried to teach a Compton man "a lesson" by handcuffing him and throwing him into the back of his patrol SUV, federal prosecutors said on Monday.
Miguel Angel Vega, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law earlier this year. The judge overseeing the trial said the disgraced deputy's actions "embarrassed" the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The United States Department of Justice said he betrayed his "fellow deputies" through his actions.
"When law enforcement officers abuse their power, they tear at our social fabric by undermining public trust in the equal application of the law," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said. "By violating his sacred oath to uphold the law, Vega also betrayed his fellow deputies, the vast majority of whom sacrifice every day to keep our community safe."
The false imprisonment happened on April 13, 2020, when Vega and his then-partner Christopher Blair Hernandez, 38, started searching two Black men skateboarding at Compton's Wilson Park for firearms. Prosecutors said the two young men did not have any guns on them.
Investigators said that while Vega and Hernandez searched the skateboarders, a 23-year-old man started to shout at them, telling the deputies to leave the young men alone. Vega then challenged the bystander to a fight and started to bark back him before handcuffing him and throwing the young man into the back of the patrol SUV to teach the, identified as J.A., "a lesson," prosecutors claimed. Following Vega's conviction, the Department of Justice said there was no legitimate basis for J.A.'s false imprisonment.
"The defendant swore an oath to protect the public he served, but instead chose to violate the civil rights of an innocent young man," FBI Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway said.
Vega continued to taunt and threaten the man as the trio drove away from the park. He threatened to drop him off in gang territory where J.A. could have been beaten.
Before taking off from the park, the deputies failed to buckle their captive's seatbelt and eventually crashed their car into wall during a pursuit.
Their victim suffered a cut above his eye and an undisclosed head injury because of the collision. Vega told J.A. to run away from the crash site. Vegan then told his supervisor that no one else was in the car during the pursuit, until responding deputies detained J.A.
Vega lied again to his sergeant, claiming that he had detained the 23-year-old for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Hernandez and Vega tried to cover up their crime by having another deputy cite J.A. for being under the influence of methamphetamine, despite knowing it wasn't true. Later, the two ex-deputies lied in incident reports, claiming J.A. also threatened people at the park. Vega claimed he also transferred the young man to another patrol vehicle instead of telling him to run away, according to the DOJ.
The Department assisted federal agencies during the criminal investigation, contributing to their indictment. The Sheriff's Department is committed to holding employees accountable for their actions and expects them to exhibit the highest moral and ethical standards when serving our communities," Sheriff Robert Luna said
In addition to the two years in federal prison, Vega must pay a $5,000 fine. Hernandez also pleaded guilty earlier this year. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024.
He faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.