Blake Anderson: Security guard beaten by LASD deputies alleges excessive force in lawsuit
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A security guard alleges he was blinded in one eye following a violent arrest by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies outside an Inglewood hookah lounge where he was working, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed Thursday.
Blake Anderson, 25, of Long Beach, was escorting a woman to her car about 1:15 a.m. on Oct. 16, 2022, when an LASD cruiser rolled into the Good Batch Hookah Lounge parking lot. A deputy hopped out and approached Anderson from his right side, according to the lawsuit.
Previous injuries had left Anderson with hearing loss in his right ear and a ruptured right eye, which was healing and beginning to recover sight with blurry images and light. According to the lawsuit, the officer approached Anderson from his right side, grabbed him, and slammed him into a window with no probable cause.
A bystander's video of the arrest shows a second deputy joining the first to put Anderson in a chokehold while the first deputy punches him as they pull him to the ground, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.
The deputies slammed Anderson's head into the ground, hit him with a gun, pressed it to the back of his head, threatened to shoot him and used racial epithets during the arrest, the lawsuit alleges.
Anderson claims he lost all sight in his right eye upon regaining consciousness after his head was slammed into the ground.
In a statement issued in October 2022, then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva called the use of force incident "concerning" and said it was being reviewed.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Blake Anderson: Security guard beaten by LA County deputies during arrest breaks silence
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"Proper admin action will result depending on the outcome," Villanueva tweeted at the time.
An LASD spokesperson said Thursday that no new information was immediately available.
The lawsuit accuses LASD and the as-yet unidentified deputies of excessive force, unreasonable search and seizure, and violating Anderson's civil rights.
In addition, the lawsuit accuses the department and deputies of denying Anderson's right to adequate medical care. Following his arrest, Anderson was taken to Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, where he wasn't told of his treatment plan, which was only shared with LASD deputies, who decided to take him to jail, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit claims that physicians believed Anderson needed more extensive medical care and should have remained at the hospital.
Anderson suffered several hematomas around his head, nerve damage to his legs and arms, and a dislocated shoulder in addition to his eye injury, according to the lawsuit.