Sheriff Villanueva discusses Derek Chauvin verdict, Isaias Cervantes shooting

LOS ANGELES - The last time I saw Sheriff Alex Villanueva in-person, it was May of 2020. The streets of Los Angeles and cities around the country were filled with protestors outraged over the death of George Floyd, who was killed during an arrest by Minnesota Police.

COVID-19 was still new and local stay-at-home orders were strict as the virus exploded in Southern California. I was among journalists gathered at the Hall of Justice to interview the new sheriff, former DA Jackie Lacey and Police Chief Michel Moore.

The night before, some public demonstrations had spiraled into violence and looting. The mood was tense inside the room. Local leaders appeared agitated; trying to explain what happened the day and night before. Business owners were angered and heartbroken to watch their businesses vandalized and looted on live television; and protesters accused local law enforcement of heavy-handed tactics.

When I met the new sheriff, he took my question in a brusque manner and then handed off the mic.

Now nearly a year later, here I was again, no pressing deadlines, no agreed-upon format. It was simply my cameraman and I interviewing Sheriff Villanueva, as about a half dozen men and women in uniform looked on. We casually chatted in front of a parked LA County Sheriffs' chopper on a blustery afternoon at the training facility in East LA.

And then, we began the formal interview. Sheriff Villanueva expressed surprise at what he characterized as an effort to undermine him by the LA County Board of Supervisors since Day 1. Despite the sometimes intense opposition — he’s forged ahead. He expressed strong agreement with the verdict the jury reached out of Minnesota, April 20 finding Derek Chauvin -- an ex-cop -- guilty on all three counts, including two counts of murder. 

"They got it right," Sheriff Villanueva said.

On Villanueva’s watch, he lobbied and got funds last fall to supply body cams to sheriff's deputies in the field. In the last few weeks, I’ve been covering the story of a young Cudahy man who is partially deaf and autistic, who was shot by a deputy in his home after his family asked for help.

The family said the young man, Isaias Cervantes, had become belligerent with his mom and they called deputies. After that, the stories strongly differ. Bodycam video released last week was more audio than the picture. The sheriff's department maintains Cervantes attacked officers and that two cameras were dislodged during the altercation.

The sheriff called it a "violent struggle," in which one of his officers' cornea was scratched from the fight. Young Cervantes remains in the hospital and may be paralyzed. Groups for the rights of disabled citizens have been picketing the sheriff's department. The Cervantes Family says the deputies were warned of their son’s delicate condition.

Villanueva expressed sympathy for the family. But he said at "no time did the family tell [his] deputies the young man was autistic or that he had the mental capacity of a young child."

He said as a result of the incident, a new template was being devised where families could alert the sheriff's department in advance of deputy-involved calls, that their loved one had intellectual and physical challenges. The critical information would be stored. The sheriff said the goal was to avoid confrontation resulting in tragic consequences.

On the issue of Tiger Woods, he stood firm, calling it a "private matter." He said despite the golfer’s public profile, no footage would be released.

During our 20-minute interview, I found Villanueva to be open and thoughtful in his replies. He did not seem like a man who wore worry on his sleeve.

When we finished our interview, I asked if the chopper was going up anytime soon? He said that we could go now.

And so we did.

The sheriff, his rescue team and I wore headsets and soared above Dodger Stadium and the glittering highrises of downtown LA. There were homes as far as the eye could see!

Back on terra firma, I asked Villanueva if he ever thought about the staggering responsibility he’d been given -- overseeing the safety of some 10 million people? He said he most certainly did. The geography alone was daunting. And then he chuckled with confidence, like a man who believed he was up to the enormous task.

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