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Lawyer releases video claiming excessive force by LASD deputies on compliant inmate
Six deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were caught on camera using excessive force on an inmate, who was arrested for a non-violent crime, an attorney representing the inmate alleged Monday.
LOS ANGELES - A day after video was released apparently showing six deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department using excessive force on an inmate, the LASD tweeted lawsuits and use of force incidents have "decreased significantly."
In a tweet, the LASD said in part "new data shows lawsuit, force incidents, and complaints against the @LASDHQ have decreased significantly. These staggering results can be attributed to the many 21st century reforms @LACoSheriff has implemented."
The tweet was accompanied by a series of slides showing the data.
On Monday, an attorney representing inmate Jesus Soto released video showing the incident that happened at LA County's Inmate Reception Center.
The video shows inmate Soto Jara being compliant before he is ultimately attacked by six officers on video, the lawyer alleged. He was subsequently pushed to an area that is off-camera and further pummeled, he added.
Soto Jara's attorney said that his sources claim that a scuffle happened immediately above the camera view involving two other inmates, but, "Mr. Soto had nothing to do with that incident. He was compliant with the officers there."
He also alleged that the officers knew and intentionally continued to beat Sota Jara out of the view of the camera.
LASD has responded to Soto Jara's attorney's claims, calling them "categorically incorrect and misleading."
"He merely provided a fragment of the facts surrounding the incident, including the inmate was intentionally taken out of camera view and beaten. This is incorrect, in fact the LASD has multiple cameras covering the entire incident," Deputy Raquel Utley said in a statement to FOX 11.