Sheriff Villanueva refutes allegations the LASD tried to cover-up deputy neck-kneeling incident

Sheriff Alex Villanueva this weekend was responding after video surfaced that shows a deputy kneeling on a man's neck. 

The Los Angeles Times obtained the clip and alleged that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department was trying hid the incident for fear of bad publicity.

The article stated that in March of 2021, an inmate punched deputy Douglas Johnson at the San Fernando jail. The article says that the deputy then pressed his knee on the inmate's neck for three minutes despite the inmate being handcuffed.

The Sheriff says the article was likely his political opponent's attempt at "political sabotage."

At his reelection kickoff campaign event, Sheriff Villanueva addressed his supporters.

"Well, if you look at one of the parties trying to push the narrative is the LA Times and one of the other candidates for Sheriff, you have got to take it with a grain of salt," he said.

When asked whether he was saying there was no cover-up, he said, "no."

The Sheriff says the deputy in question has been relieved of duty. He says the department is waiting for the results of the criminal and administrative investigations to proceed with the case.