Former VA police officer gets year in prison for beating man with baton 45 times

LOS ANGELES - A former Veterans Affairs Police Department officer was sentenced Friday to one year in prison for beating a man at the hospital with his baton more than 40 times in under a minute.

Juan Anthony Carillo of Alhambra pleaded guilty in July to depriving the 34-year-old victim of his rights and excessive force. The 12-month sentence is the maximum for the charges.

"Officers owe a special duty and have a special obligation to keep the trust of the citizens they police," said Judge Wesley Hsu in his ruling.

SUGGESTED: VA Campus celebrates new building for homeless vets days after appealing order to build temporary units

The beating happened on Jan. 16, 2022. The man had been detained by another VAPD officer on the VA Medical Center grounds. Carrillo came to assist the other officer. While the other officer was on top of him, Carrillo beat the man with his baton 45 times in 41 seconds. The man was unarmed.

Both Carrillo and the other officer outweighed the man by at least 60 pounds. Carrillo's beating left him with a broken bone in his foot, and cuts on both his legs.

According to the California DOJ, the FBI, the VA’s Office of Inspector General, and the VA’s Office of Security and Law Enforcement are still investigating the case.