Los Banditos

The East Los Angeles Sheriff’s station has the most documented history of deputy gangs. Today, the station is dominated Banditos. Member activities allegedly include leaving dead rats for enemies and killing teenagers.

A Tradition of Violence is hosted and executive produced by Cerise Castle. She's an award winning journalist who wrote the first ever history of deputy gangs for Knock LA, available at lasdgangs.com

Music by Yelohill and Steelz.

For breaking news and updates on deputy gangs, follow @lasdgangs on social media.

To support Cerise’s reporting, and for exclusive bonus content, subscribe to the patreon.com/lasdgangs. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Warning this podcast can see is explicit language and details
acts of violence. Listener discretion is advised. The East Los
Angeles Sheriff Station has seen several generations of deputy gangs
come and go over the years. On August seventy, the
Little Red Devils beat hundreds of people demonstrating against the

(00:22):
Vietnam War with batons. Some were shot and killed. Their
tactics were immortalized in the Fort Apache logo, which depicts
a riot helmet and a boot. Around it are the
words low profile and semprea and Los Angelnes or always
a swift kick in the ass. The logo can be

(00:43):
seen on hats, t shirts, and other gear worn by deputies.
It was even put into a mural in the floor
of the East l A Station. After the Red Devils
came the cave Men, whose membership allegedly includes former under
Sheriff Timothy Muraca. Me Once the cave Men membership had
promoted up or moved on, the Bandidos emerged. This is

(01:10):
a tradition of violence. A history of deputy gangs inside
the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Earlier this year, I
met with someone who encountered the very first Bandidos. He
wanted to remain anonymous, so I'm going to call him Leo.

(01:32):
Leo was born and raised in the Boyle Heights neighborhood,
specifically White Fence, which is also the name of one
of the oldest gangs in l A. He's an incredible artist.
He paints, draws and sketches portraits, landscapes, and anything else
you could think of. He was also known for doing
free hand tattoos. Like lots of other young Hispanic men

(01:53):
in East l A, Leo was frequently harassed by Sheriff's deputies.
Did drag my family out gunpoint one time looking for
my ass got me. There was nothing we could do
to change anyways. At the time, you were just the
anstirs and given them, given those rules. If that's the
way it is, that's the way it is. One day,
when Leo was about eighteen in the early nineteen eighties,

(02:17):
he was detained by deputies and beaten inside of the
East l A Sheriff station. They beat the little crap
out of me, I mean just really yeah, turned me up,
bat and two cups. You grabbed my arms from one
side and the cops student in front of me what's
your name? Until finally would just fuck you back. It

(02:40):
didn't matter what I said, you didn't just you know,
they're going to town on my ass. I remember was
waking up in the cell. I didn't want that to
keep going. A friend of his reached out with a
business opportunity. This friend lived in the Matta Villa projects,
and their home was frequently rated by sheriff's deputies. The
friends said that a few deputies he knew wanted to

(03:01):
get tattoos. Leo thought this could be the thing that
made the beatings stop. At that time, I said, all right,
if I do the tattoos on these cats, they'll get
to know me. He's up. Maybe Leo's friend had him
and the four deputies come to his house one night. Guy,
big guys, do you know what I thought they were going.
They were on steroids or something. You can't help be

(03:21):
nervous around the cats, you know. I didn't trust him
for ship, so I was like, you know, just get
through this. You know, did you come up with the
design yourself? I drew it right then and there. Did
They gave me the description? Wants out out there? Well,
it's the sheriff. The sheriff badge with the gun. So
drew it up, and the sheriffs wanted to keep the

(03:41):
pattern because they know case they got a new guy
to get the same design. I remember the thing was
because what they wanted was Benito, and I thought, you know,
the Mexican had right and said, no, man, we Mexicans.
I had to like Twinity School War in the end,
the good, the bad, you know, flat top around it.

(04:03):
Why because he's white, okay, d kissed me off a
little bit because that because I'm Hispanic. I had the
distinct impression that this was all racially charged. Okay, there
was I say, a purpose to it. I knew that.
I didn't know what it was. Was there a reason
behind what they wanted? It was obviously, you know, with

(04:23):
a gun and the ship. It all made sense to me.
You know, I guess you would want that, wouldn't you.
The design that Leo drew that night appears to be
an early version of the Bandido tattoo that has been
cited in lawsuits and shown in the news. But when
I saw that, you guys posted up as a different
design different Somewhere along the land they added probably because
they started act adding Mexicans, maxicly cops. You know, the

(04:47):
elements are still there on the same thing. Why do
you think they would have changed one? Like I said,
they started including fact. I was wondering, man, you know, hey,
how long does that happen? Man? You gonna get up?
But you kind of go against his own race. I that,
but I've seen something like that happen. How is it
you're with us now? You're better than that, We're the

(05:08):
good guys. I think you're actually living it, you know,
when you're on the streets, because yeah, with the reputations
of the Sheriff's had and the community, the way the
community responds around him, he start getting that feeling, I'm
better than these people. But all that because they become
your members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, say

(05:30):
Danny Batsa Naro a k A. Batman, is one of
the original ten founding members of the Bandidos gang. Bats
A Narrow was close with former Sheriff Alex Vienueva and
even served as head of his security detail. Today's Mendido's
are almost exclusively Latino personnel. The gang does not allow
women or black people to become full members. People who

(05:52):
are allowed to become members are voted on. They share
a tattoo on their legs of a skeleton with a
bushy mustache whereing a sombrero and a bandalier. The skeleton
also holds a pistol in its hands. Each of these
tattoos are numbered sequentially. Many Bandittos have a history of
prior violence inside of the Downtown County jail facilities. On July,

(06:17):
Juan Sanchez, a member of the Bandidos, beat Jose's Eliah,
who had been arrested earlier that day at the Twin
Towers Correctional Facility. He sued and was awarded three hundred
thousand dollars by a jury. Taxpayers paid for that and
attorney fees, according to court documents. Current Bandido leadership includes

(06:38):
Gregory Rodriguez or g rod David Silver Silverio, Michael Hernandez
or band Bam Silvano, Garcia a k A. Cholo, Vincent Moran,
Raymond Ray Raymondoza, and Raphael Rene Munio's a k A.
Big Listo, trained by former sheriff Alex Vienneueva him self.

(07:00):
Big Lista was previously discharged from l A s D
because of a domestic violence incident but rehired. Meetings are
held in the home of Noel Lopez, also known as Crook.
According to deputies, members of the Bendidos have established a
culture at the station of working backwards, meaning that people
are arrested first, then probable cause is established later through

(07:23):
manufactured evidence. Members tax trainees by giving them empty envelopes
and telling them to have them filled with money by
the end of the day. Bendido's members approve of station
activities like fundraisers, training parties and staff barbecues and so
called round table sessions circumventing station leadership. They used slang

(07:43):
like essay and homes. People who do not follow their
agenda are punished. Guadalupe Lopez joined the l A County
Sheriff's Department in two thousand three and started working at
the East l A station in She was trained by
field training officer Eric Valdez, an alleged member of the
Bandidos referred to as the quote godfather of East l A.

(08:06):
During her first two weeks of training, Guadalupe quickly learned
that the Bandidos had a firm grip on how the
station operated. She was assigned to work with Christopher Wargo,
a prospective deputy gang member also known as a quote puppy.
She saw him purchase reports, meaning he would write arrest
reports for other deputies already in the gang. She also

(08:29):
says that she was subjected to sexual harassment by male
deputies and members of the Mendido's. One associate of the
gang told her she needed to call her training officer Daddy,
and that she needed to quote submit to the program
of his so called kids. Other women within the department
told Guadalupe that submitting meant drinking, partying, and providing sexual

(08:51):
favors to mail deputies upon request. If she didn't comply,
she would not pass her probationary training for patrol. She
made it clear that she had no intention of engaging
in these activities and was punished for it. Guadalupe was
reassigned to field training Officer Edwin Hernandez, who made it
clear he was not down with the so called godfather

(09:13):
Valdez or any of his trainees. There was a power
struggle between her, Nandez and Valdez. People inside the department
have told me it was similar to what happens in
the film American Met which depicts the creation of the
Mexican Mafia. If you're not familiar, check out the podcast
More Than a Movie. Like the lead character in the movie,

(09:34):
Valdez was pushed out of the gang by younger, more
aggressive deputies. He still appears to be working at the
department and was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Guadalupe
Lopez was continually harassed by the Bandidos and their associates
after she spoke up in November of eleven. She says
that alleged Bandido's associate Andrew Hernandez, leered at her breasts

(09:57):
and made lewd remarks as she left the women's locker room.
The next month, another associate demanded, with sexual implications that
she meet up with him alone off duty. During a
priority call, Deputy Wargo block Guadaloupe's patrol car in so
she could not move. He ordered her out of the
car and screamed, quote, you are a product of Valdez

(10:19):
and he is God at East l A Station and
if you don't submit to the program, you will have
problems here. One month later, Deputy Andrew Hernandez screamed and
cursed to her and told her, quote, you are on
your own. Someone posted a fake Department personnel transfer request
in March two thousand twelve, with Guadalupe's name on it.
She took the phony request to a sergeant, who filed

(10:41):
a policy of equity complaint on her. Behalf. Captain Henry
Romero was also informed about the Bendido's behavior. Romero offered
Guadaloupe a transfer, she did not think she deserves to
be moved since she had done nothing wrong. Instead, she
was moved to the day shift at East l A Station,
and several deputies implicated in her complaint were loaned out

(11:03):
to other stations, but she still worked near Valdez. Guadalupe
says after the POE was filed, she wasn't given enough
time to finish administrative paperwork. Former Deputy Angel Rainosa described
similar tactics and use at the Lancaster station in episode nine.
I heard first heard the term um paper fuck, which

(11:25):
means get every call in the box, which is the
boxes like the call for services, and you you end
up with maybe twelve reports by the end of your
shift that you will not finish by the end of
your shift before the twenty four hour period we have
to come back. They want to put you through so
much stress that you just quit. Guadalupe says that supervisors
refused to sign off on her reports, Detectives didn't file

(11:48):
or investigate her cases, Dispatch did not respond to her
calls or send back up. L A County residents were
also subjected to the bendido's abuse. On August thousand, twelve,
deputies from the East l A Station swarmed the thirteen
hundred block of South Marianna Avenue. Christopher Gray, a young
black man originally from Idaho, had been a nuclear physics

(12:11):
major in college and relocated to l A for work.
The deputies detained Christopher's brother in law and took him
into custody. According to his attorney, oh Lou Orange, Christopher
watched the arrest while standing just off the curve in
the street with his arms folded, with several yards between
him and what was happening. Neighbors were filming the arrest.

(12:33):
One deputy approached Christopher and told him to get back
on the sidewalk. When he refused, Deputy Gregory Rodriguez, an
alleged bandido also known as g Rod, and four others pounced.
They grabbed Christopher and handcuffed him, then pushed him up
against their car. They bent his hands so far behind
his back that his fingers were visible peeking out behind

(12:55):
his ears. His shoulders were severely damaged, which later required
aired surgery. Christopher's attorney says that he was also beaten
by deputies and called a monkey. In the police report,
g Rod lied and said that Christopher had tried to
open the door of the patrol vehicle. The video shows
that this never happened. Even so, Christopher was charged with

(13:18):
intentionally obstructing a law enforcement officer from performing their duties.
Orange says he was held in jail for about five days.
On October fifteenth, two thousand twelve, Christopher had another bad
encounter with deputies. A deputy came to his house while
he was moving his car into his driveway. He was detained,

(13:39):
then battered, and had his car searched. The charges against
him were dismissed by the prosecutor as soon as they
saw video of the arrest. Christopher filed a civil rights
lawsuit against l A County in October, which was settled
for five hundred and forty nine thousand dollars paid for
by taxpayers. Just a few days after Christopher was detained

(14:01):
by Bandido g rod Guadalupe Lopez's car was vandalized while
parked at the East l A station two months later,
on December two thousand twelve, the Bandido's associates, who were
temporarily moved as a result of Guadalupe's complaint, were returned
to the station. In a civil rights lawsuit against l

(14:21):
A County, she says she immediately felt chest pains and
was diagnosed with a stress induced pre heart attack condition.
Shortly after, she was placed on medical leave for one month,
but when she returned in early the harassment kept up
and she was put on medical leave for a second time.
Guadalupe returned to the East l A station by April.

(14:43):
On April tenth, she found a dead rat underneath the
driver's side door of her car. The next day, someone
wrote fuck you on the rear window and threw eggs
on it. Rosa Gonzalez, another woman at the station, saw
her experience change for the worst. After being given the
day off and mentioning plans to visit Hawaii, she got

(15:05):
a text message. It was sent to a group she
was in with Deputy Jose Rauno. In the message, he
used a disparaging sexist remark to describe her and said
she was not going to make it into work today
because she was going to Hawaii. Browno confirmed he sent
the message under oath Rosa stayed at the station and

(15:26):
continued to work with her head down. The Bendidos were
also continuing to target East l A residence. On April,
alleged Bendido shot caller Raphael Munio's also known as big Lesto,
and his partner responded to a call for service. According
to a report from then Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie

(15:47):
Lacy's office, a teenager had called around ten twenty pm
after being robbed at gunpoint for the keys to his
father's accura. The deputies spotted Edward Angel Ramirez near the
onra up to the sixty Freeway and broadcast their location.
They put on their lights and began a pursuit. A
helicopter joined in. Ramirez drove just over a mile west

(16:11):
to the end of a cul de sac, got out
and began running. Big Lesto pulled up behind him with
his partner and ran after Edward. J Rod had joined
in the pursuit and was right behind them. They say
Edward turned and pointed a gun at them. Prompting them
to shoot him. Edward kept running and tried to hide
in an apartment building. He went door to door holding

(16:32):
the gun, telling people to get out. He climbed into
one unit, whose occupants quickly hit in the bathroom and
locked the door. Deputies from the Special Enforcement Bureau, also
known as a SWAT team, set up a ladder outside
of a window next to the bathroom and stationed a
deputy with a gun. Edward called his mom, who lived nearby,
and told her quote, I guess this is it, and

(16:55):
his daughter that she would never see him again. An
hour passed and the unit residents were evacuated down the ladder.
Four SEB deputies were posted outside the front door. Their
team sent in a robot with a camera to monitor
Edward and ordered him to surrender over a PA system.
L A. S d says that the crisis negotiators attempts

(17:16):
to reach Edward were unsuccessful. Then they deployed tear gas
through the unit's windows. Edward opened the front door on
his knees. One of the deputies says that he saw
Edward holding a gun and he fired his MP five
submachine gun at him. Edward tried to shut the door,
but there was debris in the way. Deputies say he

(17:37):
tried to open it again with a gun in his hand,
and two deputies shot at him again. The d A
office's report says that the camera monitor showed Edward exiting
the front door with something in his hand. Deputies say
he came out shooting, prompting them to shoot. Edward was
hit again and went down. One of the deputies says
he sat back up, prompting him to continue firing. He

(18:01):
then ran out of ammunition in his submachine gun and
switched to a handgun to keep shooting. Edward died at
the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. A revolver was found
near his body with five spent casings and one live
round in the cylinder. The d A found that the deputies,
including big Lee, Sto and g Rod, acted in lawful

(18:22):
self defense and defense of one another when they killed Edward.
Less than one month later, g Rod killed someone else.
At this point, he had been transferred to the Compton station.
On May seven PM, he was driving with his partner
on Bradfield Avenue when he saw twenty seven year old

(18:43):
Marquis Brown driving a black Pontiact northbound on the street.
According to another d A report, the deputies say he
was driving fast, so they got behind him with sirens.
Marquees didn't stop. He turned into a col de sac
on Palmer Avenue and stopped the car and got out running.
The deputies say that he reached for his waist, which
made them think he had a gun. Marquis tried to

(19:06):
climb the fence of a nearby home but fell backwards.
The deputies say he landed on his feet and pointed
a gun at them, so they shot him. Marquis was
hit four times. The deputies say they recovered a pistol
from the ground near him. He died later at a hospital.
The d A concluded that g Rod and his partner
both acted lawfully in self defense. Back in East l A,

(19:30):
Guadaloupe Lopez tried to keep making something out of her
career at l A s D, with no success. She
signed up to take the sergeant's exam in July, but
was unable to take it because of continued harassment, which
she says was still happening even though she wasn't coming
into the station. The next month, her disability leave ended

(19:52):
and she was scheduled to return to regular work at
the East l A station, she reached out to the
Association for Los Angeles Deputy Share the Deputy Union, also
known as a LADS. After several unsuccessful meetings with her
union representative, she met with a division commander. She put
in a transfer request and was loaned out to the
Century station. In December, she says she was informed that

(20:15):
she would have to return to East l A immediately
unless she requested a transfer. Her original request had never
been filed. She filed a civil lawsuit against l A
County and eventually settled for one point five million dollars
funded by taxpayers, but her attorney told me that the
experience was too much. Guadalupe left l A, s D

(20:39):
and California to try to leave the trauma behind her.
Rosa Gonzalez continue to work at the East l A

(21:01):
station through but the gang decided to go after her again.
Sergeant Angelica Patty Estrada is an associate of the Bandidos
who uses the nickname the Pink Hand. That's a nod
to the symbol of death within the Mexican mafia. Vincent
Miller is an attorney who represents several deputies who have
come forward to speak out against deputy gangs. He told me,

(21:25):
the Pink Hand is the quote brains of the operation
behind the scenes. In July of that year, the Pink
Hand assigned Rosa to mentor new deputies in preparation for
becoming a field training officer. That was a position the
Bandidos considered important. They wanted big Lesto in that position,
where he'd be responsible for bringing new deputies up to

(21:46):
speed on the East l A Way. Suddenly, no one
would respond to Rosa's calls for backup. A few days later,
she was accused of hazing one of the rookies by
Sergeant Peter Hissh, an alleged Bandidos member, and removed from
the position. She filed a complaint against Hish and Sergeant
Joel Flores, who was an admitted Bendido. She was transferred

(22:08):
to the Norwalk station against her will because her chief
feared for her life, but the harassment continued and she
was passed over for a promotion. Rosa claims in her
lawsuit Hished directly interfered by manipulating her test score. L
A s D didn't investigate her complaint. Instead, they investigated
her She developed health issues and was removed from the field.

(22:32):
Two years later, she filed the lawsuit against L A.
S D, which was settled for one million dollars in
nineteen funded by taxpayers. By Deputy Gregory Rodriguez or g Rod,
had killed two people and cost Los Angeles County about
five hundred and fifty thousand dollars for detaining Christopher Gray.

(22:54):
He was also recognized as a shot caller within the
Bandidos deputy gang. He was just getting started. In June,
g Rod was on patrol with Deputy Timothy Lee. Lee
had violence in his background. Two On August third, two
thousand twelve, he and two other deputies punched, choked, and
tasered Darren Burley, an unarmed black man, during a misdemeanor arrest.

(23:19):
Darren died twelve days later in a hospital from a
brain injury. His family sued and won a settlement of
eight million dollars funded by taxpayers. But g Rod killing
two people and Lee participating in a choking death attorneys
have called incredibly similar to George Floyd's murder did not
stop them from still being out on the street. They

(23:42):
were stopped at a red light on Rosecrans and Long
Beach Boulevard in Compton. On June just after ten pm,
twenty four year old Antoine Hunter drove past them, heading
east on Rosecrans. The deputies say they saw him make
a sharp U turn and began falling him. The l
a s D Manual says that vehicles can only be

(24:04):
pursued if the vehicle is confirmed to be stolen, has
known or suspected felons inside, if the people inside appeared
to be driving under the influence or are displaying guns
in an assault of style, or if the car is
fleeing from another crime. Antoine knew that deputies abused people.
His father, Donald, was shot by deputies from the Compton

(24:26):
station in two thousand six. In the past, deputies had
dropped Antoine off in Latina gang areas where he would
be in danger. The gang members would let him go
because they witnessed the deputies set him up. Antoine also
had a past with a criminal justice system from his childhood.
He spent several years incarcerated for a robbery and attempt

(24:47):
at burglary stemming from an incident when he was fifteen,
but he was out now and doing well. His mom
told the Los Angeles Times he was attending a local
community college and playing football. In three days he would
be off parole. Antoine was heading back from a funeral
of a friend with his friend Jeremy Evans. Ant Swan
had a gun tucked into his waistband. His lawyer, on

(25:10):
Bertoguizar says that was for protection. That is understandable for
that to happen into South Central area from a funeral
because they're under threat of gang members about to kill him.
He would not outlooking to shoot a cop or anything
like that. The deputies say Antoine turned left into a neighborhood,
blew a stop sign, and didn't complete a turn. Antwoine's

(25:33):
attorneys say the deputy is collided with the back of
his car, pushing him into a collision with a car
parked on the corner. Timothy Lee had already been in
three other traffic collisions determined to be preventible and had
been assigned to desk duty as a result. The deputies
parked their car behind Antoine, wedging him in and got

(25:53):
out with their guns drawn. They shot out at him
about eighteen times. Mr. Evans, who was a paste didn't die.
He got shot like four or five times as well.
They clearly wanted to kill him. We did not know
at the time that they were members of the Deputy
Gang or any of that stuff, but I did have
some evidence to show that Greg was involved as a

(26:14):
serious misconduct in the Ali County Sheriff's Department. Things looked
like they were starting to catch up to g Rod.
In sixteen, he was charged with perjury by the office
of District Attorney Jackie Lacey for lying in his police
report about Christopher Gray. Once again, video evidence proved that
a deputy had made everything up. He was relieved of duty,

(26:35):
meaning he was still an employee, but not on the streets.
His pay was later suspended, but a jury could not
reach a verdict. They deadlocked, with eight of twelve in
favor of dismissing the l A Deputy District Attorney said
the office would not refile charges, and the judge dismissed
the case. The Benditos continued to operate unchecked. Deputies working

(26:58):
at the East l A station say that the Bendidos
became more violent. In Eric Valdez, the so called godfather
of East l A, was no longer the head of
the gang. Big Leisto was now the top shot caller.
According to deputies working at the station, everyone knew about
the gang by this point. Deputies Alfred Gonzalez, Oscar Escobeto, Ariella,

(27:21):
Liamis art Hernandez, Mario Contreras, David Casas, Luis Granados, and
Benjamin Zaradini filed complaints stating that the environment at the
station had become toxic. The deputies said the gang would
not allow rookies on patrol training to eat during their shift.
They would also force them to work long hours and

(27:42):
pay taxes to the Bandidos. David Casas said he was
harassed by the Bandidos starting upon his arrival to East
l A and taxed by the gang twice. Mario Contreras
said Big Leisto harassed him for over two years over
the patrol vehicles computer, beginning in February seventeen. Oscar Granados

(28:04):
said in a civil lawsuit he saw some of this harassment.
He also stated that the Bendidos so called brothers, pushed
Latino deputies to make arrests by enforcing illegal arrest quotas.
People who did not comply were punished with extra calls
at the end of their shift. Alfred Gonzalez said the
Bendidos would stare down Latino deputies at the station. When

(28:26):
he arrived in May seventeen, he was blacklisted by the
gang and treated with open hostility. Benjamin Zeradini had a
unique perspective into the gang. He had even tried to
become a member. His relationship with the Bandidos changed when
he thought they went too far. Throughout seventeen, Biglisto confronted
art Hernandez repeatedly. He would mock Hernandez his work performance

(28:50):
and messages over department communication channels and told him to
go work somewhere else. Biglisto said that hernandez A style
of policing was quote not the East l A way.
In June, Hernandez was sent out on his first murder call.
Big Listo sent a message over the vehicle computer system
instructing East l A deputies not to back her Nande's up.

(29:14):
That was too much for Zaradini. He responded to the
call for help with his trainee Alfred Gonzalez, and was
placed on the blacklist. When he was back at the station,
Bendido's member Ray Ray Sucker punched Seradini behind the building
and knocked him unconscious. Ariel Alimis was harassed by the
Bandidos after becoming Deputy Zeradini's trainee in The gang's members

(29:38):
told her she did not quote come from a good bloodline.
They asked her to perform sexual favors in order to
advance in the department. She reported ray ray to Captain
Ernie Chavez, a member of the Vikings, who told her
he would do nothing. The Bendittos continued to go after
other deputies who did not follow their program. Oscar Escobado

(30:00):
said the Banditos began harassing him in September. He also
got threatening messages and was pushed to arrest as many
people as possible. David Cassas and Art Hernandez were summoned
to a meeting with Bendito's member David Silver Silverio big
Listo joined and the two men pressured Cassas and Hernandez

(30:22):
to leave the station. The Benditos continued to abuse the
residence of East l A two. On November sixteen, Maria
Veronico Salis Munos was standing on the corner of South
Indiana Street and witti Or Boulevard with her two sons.
Nine year old Marco Antonio Hernandez and seven year old
Jose Luis Hernandez. Bendito's member, Vincent Moran, was riding in

(30:46):
a patrol car with his latest trainee, Deputy Carey Robless
Placentia at the wheel. As she drove quickly toward the
intersection without sirens, she ran a red light. She hit
another car, which pushed her patrol via goal onto the
sidewalk and into Maria and her kids. The two boys
died shortly after the crash. Maria had a crushed pelvis

(31:09):
and several broken bones. Several other pedestrians were injured. No
charges were filed against Robless Placentia by the office of
then District Attorney Jackie Lacey due to a quote lack
of evidence. This is despite the fact that an investigation
by the Los Angeles Police Department found that Robless Placentia's

(31:30):
decision to drive through the intersection quote without due regard
for the safety of all persons caused the crash. Court
documents showed that l a s d s internal affairs
investigation was on hold until after the criminal case wrapped up,
just one week before Sheriff Alex Vienueva took office in December.

(31:52):
Like Big Lesto. Robless Placentia had a close relationship with Viennueva,
even calling him and his wife mom Dad. Maria filed
a civil lawsuit against l A County in which settled
for seventeen point five million dollars funded by taxpayers. Robless
Placentia was promoted to work in Viennueva's office inside the

(32:16):
l A County Hall of Justice. By Silver was training
deputies at the East l A station. He was assigned
to train deputy concept Jean Hernandez Garcia, who goes by
Connie that March and immediately created a hostile environment. I
asked an actor to read portions of Connie's testimony about
that time. There's not one thing I do correctly according

(32:40):
to him, I should go back to custody because, according
to him, what I do is incorrect. For example, if
I put a space after a comma, he loses it.
He would slam the computer cover down, slam it when
I was reading off of it. If I was taking
too long, he would slam it shut so I had

(33:01):
to move it out of the way. He would drive erratic.
He would slam his hand on the steering wheel. If
I had answered a question the wrong way. I didn't
feel safe. Then Silver began touching her without her consent. First,
he held her hand. Several days later, the two of
them were called out to a home for a domestic
violence incident. They approached the front door with Connie in

(33:24):
front of Silver. Before I could even say anything, I
felt a hand on my butt put forward hard enough
for me to take a step forward. It wasn't close
to my belt, it was right in the center of
my butt. I wouldn't have cared if it would have
been on my back or shoulder. But when I felt
his hand right on my buttock, that's what made me uncomfortable.

(33:45):
It's making me upset just talking about it again. I
was in shock. It felt degrading. It was not something
I expected, not on training, not in a uniform. Not Ever,
She says she wasn't sure anyone would believe her. I
honestly don't know why I didn't say something at the time.

(34:06):
It didn't feel like I was going to be believed.
I'm kicking myself for not saying something to him right away.
When we debriefed, I know he thought about what he did,
because he said, you can't stand in the doorway. That's
the hot zone. Sometimes you need a push. I kind
of felt like he was just trying to justify his
actions of or how he did it. On July, shortly

(34:32):
after Connie's mother died, Silver used a Spanish language slur
that insulted her mother. I was upset. I got out
of the car and I kept walking. I wanted to quit.
I started walking and he was calling me out of
the window of the car. I didn't care. I didn't
want to be a deputy. I walked into the station.

(34:56):
I was shaking. I was that up set. I walked
to my locker. It upset me so much because it
felt like he was taking the best out of me.
I went and I washed my face, put water on
my face, and I went outside and I told him
exactly like this. You made a lot of comments, but

(35:18):
do not talk about my family. I was actually crying.
I was more upset about myself for allowing him to
get me that way. Connie filed a complaint and was
placed on administrative leave. Silver remained at the East l
A station. Connie was contacted by Gary Sakai, a deputy

(35:39):
compliance officer, who decided that her claims did not warrant
an internal investigation or discipline for Silver. Connie was transferred
to the Century Station about a week later, but the
Bandidos had sent word ahead of her arrival, damaging her reputation.

(36:08):
Deputies Granados and Zaradini took their concerns about the Bandidos
two supervisors. In spring, they met with Lieutenant Richard Maheia,
who opened an investigation into the gang. Granados and Zaradini's attorney,
Vince Miller told me things only got worse. The Pink
Hand told the Bandidos that the whistle had been blown

(36:30):
after Granados gave a statement to Mahia, but Glisto began
sending Granados threatening messages and not providing backup. Zaradini was
demoted from the training officer position and both men were
passed over for a promotion. The complaint never amounted to anything.
Court documents state that Lieutenant Eric Smizon altered Mahea's memo

(36:52):
on the Bandidos orders via Chief Bob Denham, but someone
was determined to keep speaking out. In the summer of
an anonymous letter from a deputy at the East l
A Station was sent to l A s D Administration
and the l A County Board of Supervisors. It detailed
the working conditions at the East l A station and

(37:12):
named Big Listo, the Pink Hand, the Godfather of East
l A, Lieutenant Smithson, and others as Bendido's. Neither the
department nor the Board of Supervisors took action. The Bendidos
continued business as usual. Unsuspecting East l A residents found
themselves caught up in the Bendidos program. Anthony Vargas grew

(37:34):
up in the mar Villa projects in a close knit family.
He had like a really high interest in music. His
music interests, his gennors of music would range from like
listening to oldies all the way to listening to Black Sabbath.
He always took care of people around him. We have
a lot of kids in the family, so growing up,

(37:54):
like all the younger kids would always hang on to him.
And you know, he was a big kid, so all
the little always just you know, hanging onto his arms,
onto his back, and he was like a teddy bear.
During that summer, he got into fishing a lot. He
had led Bible studies in the Madavia projects for years
and he was still trying to figure out life. I think,

(38:16):
like what all of us are trying to do at
twenty one. You know, these are Anthony's aunts, Valerie Vargas
and Stephanie Luna. The three of them spent a lot
of time together as a family. The night of August twelve,
Anthony had just got back from attending a prayer vigil
one of his friends who lived in the projects was killed.
It was actually a friend that you know, we had

(38:37):
all known, we grew up in the projects. And so
he was leading a prayer circle at the site of
where this young man was killed. And you know, after that,
he went to a barbecue with his friends, because you know,
when you have a posada, that's what you do. You
have a prayer at the site, and then you go
to the family's house and you have a barbecue. You
have you have food, and you just hang out and

(39:00):
you reflect on memories of the individual that had passed away.
As the night were on, everyone started to wonder where
Anthony was. Anthony wasn't the type of kid to not,
you know, give a phone call of oh hey grandma,
you know, I'm okay, I'll see you guys in a
little bit. He was always the type of kid to
pick up the phone. And he was a really big
grandma's boy, so he always made sure Grandma knew where

(39:22):
he was all the time. And so hours had passed
hadn't heard from Anthony. We had started, you know, just
texting like, oh Anthony, UM, you know, are you okay?
Where are you at My sister Anthony's mom had called
and she was frantic and she had told my mom,
we need to go to the project. Somebody got shot
and we can't get ahold of Anthony. So everybody headed

(39:45):
down to the projects to find out what was going on.
During this time, we were all consistently texting Anthony, you know,
from multiple phones. Calling Anthony. His phone was going straight
to voicemail, which was extremely, extremely awe because, like I said,
Anthony was the type of person when he left the
house phone is fully charged. You text, you call, he

(40:07):
picks up. Hours later, Valerie had finished her shift at
work and went to meet her relatives. The family still
didn't know what happened, and we're still waiting for the news.
At the site of the shooting, I just remember pulling
up into the back parking lot about this time. It
was like seven in the morning, and there's already a
news fan outside and but I guess what was happening

(40:28):
was the deputies were telling anyone who was there to
stand behind the you know this yellow tape, and the
yellow tape kept getting further and further. Anthony was it's
like a hill, so you couldn't really see down there,
and we were like, I'm not a part of the
parking lot. And I just remember like getting off the
car and trying to see, like if I could see
somebody on the ground, because we just needed like to

(40:51):
know it was an Anthony on that ground. They still
did not know that the Shaff's deputies were responsible for
the shooting. We found out that it was deputy killing
from a news reporter. The situation just got even more
heated because what was happening was we were all trying
to like see it feels it feels Anthony, and I

(41:12):
remember like Anthony's twin like trying to go forward, and
the deputies were like just degrading them. They were calling
him like homophobic and like like transphobic slurs. And that's
when my sister, Anthony's mom had told him, like you're
gonna let me cross this tape. I'm gonna cross this tape.

(41:34):
We found out that it was Anthony was when my
Anthony's mom had gave them the ultimatum of letting her
see who was underneath that white sheet, and if they didn't,
she had threatened to just run across the field and
they were going to have to arrest her. And that
was the first time that she was able to positively
identify Anthony was when he was I believe he was

(41:57):
in the body bag and he was being zip up
and they just on zipped enough for her to see
the curls and one of his eyes. At the time,
we didn't understand why, but I mean now it's apparent
because he was shot, you know, in his head, and
he had a bullet come out of his mouth. According
to the District Attorney's investigation into the shooting, l A

(42:17):
s D Dispatch put out a call for robbery at
gunpoint that night. Bendido's prospects, Nicholas Perez and Jonathan Rojas
responded and drove into the mara Via projects, where they
spotted Anthony walking home. The deputies say they told Anthony
to stop, but he ran and fell down. Perez says
he thought Anthony had a gun and punched him in

(42:38):
the head repeatedly. Both deputies say Anthony wrestled with them,
which made them think he was going to kill them
with the gun they thought he had in his waistband.
Both deputies opened fire on Anthony, hitting him thirteen times.
Here's the Vargas family attorney on Bertoguizar on Perez an evil,

(42:58):
evil human being. He's a killer. Clearly. We'll have independent
witnesses that say he had nothing in his hands, and
he turned to face the officers with his hands raised
up in the air to surrender, and that Perez was
one of the officers that straight up just shot him down,
and even after he found the ground and was shot,

(43:20):
he walked up to him and shot in three more times.
That witness is a former volunteer to sheriff Block and
he's testified that he's always supported the police, but when
he saw this, he could not believe that they would
murder an innocent man like this, and it was murder
nothing less. A criminalist said under oath that the gun

(43:41):
deputies recovered from the scene of the shooting had no
fingerprints on it. The deputy is testified they never saw
it in Anthony's hands. There wasn't any blood on the
gun either, which is very strange given that Anthony bled
profusely from his wounds as he lay dying. Two other
experts said they found two DNA profiles on the gun,

(44:03):
but no tests were run to find out whose DNA
it was. Sergeant Sarah Rodriguez arrived at the scene and
turned Anthony over to detangle his arm from Rojas's radio cord,
and her testimony said that she saw a gun flying
in the air. There's no explanation for seeing a gun
flying in the air, There's no logical explanation. And that

(44:25):
was the gun that allegedly Anthony Vargas had, And I
tried to pin her on it over and over. You
would agree. You said in your statements the gun was
flying in the air, while I meant to say I
saw it. What does flying mean? Explain it for me?
Levitation is flying, right, something was like a flying saucer.
But you saw a gun in the air when they
turned his body over. So the inference is very strong

(44:50):
that she saw them throw the gun down the planet.
That was her first day in East l A. She
was threatened, that's what here happens, and she went with
the program. When I took her deposition, she was scared
at that that she was looked like she would have
a breakdown. So this is where the irony comes. She
became an internal affairs officer. She's an internal affairs now.

(45:14):
The Sheriff's department never apologized to the Vargus family for
killing Anthony, but they did make a bizarre gesture August twelve,
in the I would say maybe about three four o'clock.
It was sometime in the afternoon, there was a deputy
that showed up at our front door with a tray
of chicken and offered his condolences. Whatever sense of myself

(45:38):
that I had, I felt, I felt myself losing it,
Like I felt to drain out of my body, because
when I seen that deputy like walking down there and
just I knew at that moment that like it was wrong.
What happened was wrong. Like I felt something like a
change inside of me where I knew that like I

(45:59):
was never gonna like lay down and say rest in peace, Anthony,
because you know, he he didn't die peaceful. He died brutally.
Then District Attorney Jackie Lacey concluded that Perez and Rojas
acted in self defense when they killed Anthony. In February,
the family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, which is

(46:22):
still making its way through the court. They assert that
Perez earned full member status in the Bandidos by killing Anthony.
Interestingly enough, following the shooting, both Rojas and Perez were
promoted before the internal reviews on their actions in the
shooting for discipline were completed. Since the shooting, Anthony's family

(46:44):
has been consistently harassed by deputies. It's been a long
four years, you know, and it's been four years filled
with a lot of harassment. It's been four years filled
with a lot of intimidation. We've seen Nicholas Perez yesterday,
you know, down the street from our home. We've been
followed so many times throughout the years. Now I have
the dash cam. I can't even drive a car without

(47:06):
a dash cam. And when I'm driving, I have time
like constantly looking at all my three years, trying to
make sure to see if I see a pattern of
a car that's behind me, that switching lanes, like I
can never just drive straight. And as time started to
pass and the harassment started to get more frequent, when
we were speaking out at certain engagements, we started noticing
a pattern and we started seeing it more aggressive. You know,

(47:28):
we were having them passing by the house waving at
the kids. We were having them pulling into our driveway
to do reverses. When there's so many other driveways on
the block that they can turn into, they would consistently
turn into ours. Um. You know, we've had them following
my mom when she was coming back from a loopus
appointment and she had a unit on the side of

(47:50):
her and deputy was waving at her. And you know,
my mom's elder she's seventy years old, and you know,
my mom came home rattled that day. Deputy that rolled
my nephew's lifeless body over and handcuffed him is consistently
stocking us on social media. Despite all of this, they
continue to speak out about Anthony. I am not afraid

(48:13):
of the sheriffs. If anything, I welcome them to fucking
challenge anything and everything that we're doing because we've learned
over the years, We've learned and we've grown and we know,
you know, what is within our right, and they've helped us,
you know, they've empowered us and emboldened us to to

(48:34):
keep keep pushing and keep fighting the way that we're
fighting and to do it without fear, because I think
once you have any type of fear and they know it,
that's when they move on you the most, and that's
when they start doing things to you the most, because
they they want you quiet, they don't want you speaking out,
they don't want you showing up. On September, Deputy Alfred

(49:09):
Gonzalez was getting dressed in the locker room at the
end of his shift. Big Lesto g Rod and Vincent
Moran turned up and began pressuring Gonzalez to follow the
illegal arrest quotas, work over time without pay or quit.
The next day, September, the East l A station held
a party for rookies who completed their training at Kennedy Hall,

(49:31):
an event space nearby. On duty personnel were assigned to
be designated drivers so attendees could drink. Alex bian Nueva,
who was elected a sheriff a few weeks later, was
also in attendance. Silver g Rod, big Lesto Silvano, Cholo Garcia, Hector,
Little Listo Soto, Savedra, Brau, Leo Robleto, and Michael Bam

(49:54):
Bam Hernandez a Bandido, then as science to Men's Central
Jail showed up to This was unusual because Mendito's didn't
generally attend these kinds of things. Attorney Vincent Miller says
they were there to beat up Gonzalez, but found other
people who did not conform to their program to victimize.
Once Vienduava left and the party began winding down, around

(50:16):
midnight on September, Gonzalez walked his friend to her car.
He heard Silver calling his name. Silver yelled that he
heard bad things about Gonzalez and that he had no
respect for him. A crowd began to form around the
two men. Bam Bam, who witnesses say looked drunk, began
to join in. He said he had no problem physically

(50:38):
assaulting Gonzalez as there was quote no one here who
would do anything, according to witnesses, He continued, I have
no problem fucking with you and your family, and if
I can't do it directly, I can find someone that can.
This is East l A I grew up here. Some
of the other deputies were able to get them to stop,

(50:59):
but around three d am g Rod approached Gonzalez and
said he wanted to talk to him. Deputy Jose Fuentas
tried to call him g raw down. G Rod got
in his face and bumped his forehead into Fuentesses and
pushed him art Hernandez saw what was happening and grabbed
g Rod, telling him to let it go. Big Listo
ran over and tackled the three of them to the floor,

(51:21):
then punching Hernandez in the mouth. Four other deputies had
to pull Big Listo off of him. The Bandidos wouldn't
back down. Bam bam shove Fuentas across the parking lot
and into the street. Then he went after Oscar Escobado
and held him in a headlock and punched him. Escobado
says he told him, I've been waiting for you. Deputy

(51:43):
bra Leo Roblero, an alleged Bandido's prospect, egged on the
Bandidos and yelled, quote, say something now, Say something now.
Deputies Christopher Moore and James Duran, both Bandido's associates, watched
and did nothing. Gonzalez yelled for them to get units
to stop the attacks. More responded, quote, let me get

(52:03):
Ray Ray, referring to Raymond Mendoza, another Bandido on duty
at the station. Escobado was thrown to the ground as
more people began to kick and punch him, Silver held
him down as the attack continued. He was able to
stand up, but was sucker punched to the ground by
Bam Bam. Hernandez tried to intervene, but was knocked unconscious.

(52:25):
The bandidos continued to beat him as he lay there.
Escobado was able to break free from the beating, but
Bam Bam pinned him against a fence in the parking
lot and began to choke Escobado with his own shirt.
Deputies Eduardo Mines and David Casas tried to pull Bam
Bam off, but were attacked themselves. Escarbado was able to

(52:46):
get away and to Gonzalez, who was waiting nearby in
his car. Cosas followed and climbed into the driver's seat
and drove them away. Hernandez was eventually escorted to his
car by another deputy, g Rod big Listo. Silver and
Cholo got into Cholo's car and drove to the East
l A station looking for the guys they just beat up.

(53:08):
According to Hernandez, there is a video that shows them
preparing a cover story. Escarbato and Hernandez both went to
the hospital Hernandez was treated for a concussion and given stitches. Afterwards,
the two of them, along with Gonzalez Zaradini, Cosas, Louis Granados,
and Aria Alimis, filed a lawsuit against l A County,

(53:29):
which is ongoing. After it was filed, the Bandidos didn't
give Zaradini backup on a call regarding an alleged shooting.
Only Limis, his former trainee, came to help him. The
Bandidos left dead rats outside of both of their homes twice,
which they say is a message a threat on their lives.

(53:50):
After Sheriff Alex bian Uavis swearing in in December, the
investigation into the Kennedy Hall fight wrapped up quickly. Captain
Ernie Chavez admitted under oath that Viennueva had him ignore
the gang element of the beating. He also said that
while Viennueva touted thirty six transfers from the East l
a station is discipline that never happened. Big Lesto, Silver

(54:14):
g Rod and Bam Bam were put on a leave
of absence. Bam Bam ended up retiring. Cholo left on
his own, as did the Pink Hand, but Vincent Moran
was allowed to keep working at the East l A station.
Ray Ray Mendoza was promoted to the detective bureau. Danny
bats Naro, one of the o g s of the Bandidos,

(54:34):
was made head of Viennueva's security detail. In February, Deputy
killings in East l A continued. Eighteen year old resident
Paul Reya was aware of what deputies could do. My
name's Lee Garcia and I'm pas mother. My family to
me like, they don't play around they you know, they
have gangs within, and I was like gritty. And to me,

(54:56):
when I think about a police managed sheriff anything, I think, okay,
gangs like that doesn't even sound right, you know. I
spoke to Leah a few weeks ago. Paul's youngest brother,
who just turned one, was there too. You might hear
him in the background. When Paul was just seven years old,
his brother's father, eighteen year old Salvador as a pay

(55:18):
to all Our Cohn, was killed by Sheriff's deputies from
the East l A station. It was a birthday party,
balloom popped or something like that. That's what the call was. Initially,
there was a lot of witnesses that said that he
put his hands up and they said no, he pulled
at a gun. Several witnesses stated they saw deputies plant
a gun on Salvador. They found out too, it was

(55:39):
like an air pistol. I'll be very honest. A couple
weeks before that, my friend got pulled over. It's just
like so weird because my friend's son had got an
air pistol gun for his birthday or something like that,
so she had in his trunk because he was just
small to play with it. When they pulled her over,
they took that gun and then it was at the
same one. I'm not saying it was the same one,
but that's like little things that they would do, you

(55:59):
know what I mean. After Salvadora's death, deputies began pulling
her over regularly. That's one of the things that including Paul,
that they saw my kids. So during those like those,
probably the first two years after his death, I got
harassed a lot, a lot, but I just didn't know
where to turn. I didn't know where. Who do you

(56:20):
even tell, like who would even listen to me? To
party not even believe these stories that occurred, you know,
like seen with my olwn eyes, then go to my
son's father's spot, kicking all his candles, going to my
son's father's, taking anybody that was right there, taking them
to jail. There was a lot of bad things like that.
They would do, put me in the police car and
my kids screaming in the back, you know, like in

(56:42):
my car in the back seat. And I remember one
occasion where Paul was like screaming his head off. I'm
Gene Ray and I'm Paul's sister. I have always feared
the sheriff since I was little because I had seen
what they, you know, would due to us when we'd
be right there and my brother's that as memorial. They'll
just literally come pull up in ten sheriff cars and

(57:07):
start putting everybody in back of the police car, and
they'll be saying, they'll be like, okay, while you're going
on game foul, you're going on getting filed. They didn't
care if you weren't from a game, you were in
that area. Just over ten years later, Paul met an
eerily similar fate that morning. It was so weird as well,
because it was just me, well, my my oldest daughter,

(57:29):
him and myself in the car and he was just
expressing his love for us, it was like he was
like had an older soul, like he was just so
advanced for his even since he was like two months
he was just very advanced. On June, eighteen year old
Paul Rhea was riding with his friend Don gear Heart

(57:49):
Avenue in East l A around eleven PM. Paul's grandmother
lived on the street, had got it like an alert
that there was an officer involve shooting on gear Heart.
So I'm like, okay, So I'm like I worried too much,
you know, I'm thinking about that. So I walked to
the store and then I had it like a big,
like a big gulp in my hand, and I just
hear my girl screaming, like screaming for the top of

(58:12):
their length, like mommy was Paul. Somebody had called them
and told them like he was your brother, but they're
saying that the passenger he died. According to a District
Attorney report, deputies Hector little Listo, savedra An alleged Bendido's prospect,
and Argelia Fuerta spotted the friends and stopped them for
allegedly running a stop sign. Paul's friends said in statements

(58:35):
that he was followed by deputies after leaving a marijuana
dispensary and pulled over at a stop sign. One deputy
opened the door, pointed a gun in his face and
told him to place his hands on the steering wheel
or she would blow his head off. His car was searched,
his weed confiscated, and he was cuffed and put in
the back of a patrol vehicle. The deputies say they

(58:56):
asked Paul to get out of the car and he
ran like other keys, says l as d claims to
have recovered a handgun from the scene. Paul's friend was
taken back to the station and allegedly beaten and threatened
by a number of deputies. I'm wanting to go to
the sheriff station because I want to see what happened.
When I walk in there, um, I tell him, like,

(59:18):
you know, there's officer. I want to know if it's
my son. They asked me to write his name on
a paper and my name, I think, and I do that.
I'm waiting. No one's coming back out there. They go
behind the doors. No one's coming back out, and then
I just hear everybody laughing, and I walked out of there.
I had the car door opened and I was just praying,
and I remember these words like my daughter, I guess

(59:41):
she pulled up in the car and she just said,
like put her arms around me, so we're gonna get
justice for him. I just freaked out. Um Like they
had to hold me down, um like for days. I
had like leaves in my hair because I was just
like rolling on the floor. In October, a few months
after Paul was killed, his sister, Jaylene, attended a town

(01:00:03):
hall event held by l A. S D In Temple City.
A deputy in uniform took her photo. Afterwards, j Leen
went to the street where Paul was killed to build
an altar for Dia de los Mortos. Deputies drove by
and made rude hand gestures, then arrested her friends. Jay
Len was arrested herself and driven recklessly around the streets

(01:00:24):
of East l A until one o'clock in the morning.
According to a lawsuit, there's a sheriff like praying around
his memorial, laughing, slipping us off. It's crazy, how like
you know. But the sheriffs will say, like I make
the making this up, you know, and making it up,
Like what am I getting out of it? What am
I getting out of it. This is not something I
want to live, you know, but it has happened to us,

(01:00:45):
and as in our family where um, there's certain deputies
that will pass by Paul's they'll tell me like what's up?
Like but you know, like they're just like a regular
gang member on the street, like hey, what's up? Like
like temming what's up? Or just like laughing at us,
laughing pointing at us. Just I mean that's taunting us.

(01:01:07):
Or they'll pull up like I'm on a gas station
like oh so where are you from? Woking are you from?
Or they're like where do you live now? And they
made it seem like we were crazy. They're like are
you sure? It was like in the patrol car, whether
they had a green jacket on, was a sheriff? Over
and over? Are you sure? I never ever want to
be on you guys? Why will we continuously make lies
upon you guys when when we're trying to get away

(01:01:28):
from you guys. Paul's family and the friend who was
driving filed a complaint against l A County in February,
which is pending. Deputy Robert Coyle, who was white, was
assigned to the East Los Angeles station shortly after Paul's death. Immediately,
he was harassed by Bandido's members when he followed policy.

(01:01:49):
The Bandidos responded by encouraging him to follow their program
by working backwards. He says he saw Edward Immunez now
a member of the Bandidos, slam a handcuffed person's face
into the hood of a car in an unlawful use
of force. When he did not adhere to this agenda,
Deputy braw Leo Robledo and other Bandidos affiliates stopped giving

(01:02:11):
Coil back up and overwhelmed him with calls. Coile requested
a transfer out of the station, which he says the
Bandidos seized on to spread rumors about him. While working
overtime at the Marina del Rey station, Bradley Liberator, an
alleged member of the regulators, sent harassing messages over the
patrol vehicle computer. Liberator also pulled Coil over without probable

(01:02:35):
cause while he was driving in Compton. Coil's claim against
l A County is still ongoing. In June, Deputy Connie Garcia,
who had been harassed by Bandidos for years, filed a
civil lawsuit against l A County. The case went to
trial this year and she was awarded eight hundred and
twenty five thousand dollars by a jury, but Judge Curtis

(01:03:00):
Ken recently ordered a reduction of that by two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars because it was quote excessive. But
December of nineteen, one of Anthony Vargas killers had killed
another person. On December sixte Jorge Serrano was walking on
four Street near Dentonman Avenue in East Los Angeles. Christian

(01:03:20):
Contreris represents the Serrano family along with Humberto Bazar. We
all have a right to consentually talk to police from
walking down the street. The police officer and talk to me.
I could just ignore him because there's no reasonable suspicion
to detain me. There's no probable cause to arrest me. Perez,
who was in a car with another deputy, began following Jorge,

(01:03:41):
who ran. Perez chased after him and shot him seven times.
The deputies chasing down the street and prior to Mr
Serranto going down Ford Street, the deputies shoot him. They
shoot him. He was at a corner and then he

(01:04:02):
turned and down Fourth Street and he begins running when
he turned that corner. Immediately at the outset of that encounter,
the deputy shoot him. They strike him, and that causes
Mr Toronto to bleed, and he is bleeding and bleeding
and bleeding, and on the street you see drops of blood,

(01:04:24):
trial of blood. And at some point halfway down the
block on Fort Street, and by that time witnesses were
already out. There's four witnesses and start shooting. The shooting.
Mr Toronto decides to give up. He stops, turns around
and puts his hands up, and at that time Deputy
Thompson shoots. Deputy Perez shoots and then Deputy Thompson shoots

(01:04:50):
again and finishes him off. And one witness describes the
shooting his murder, that they murdered him on the street
and he had his hands up right up in there
and they murdered him. So that's the general occurrence in
that case. You know, someone who was walking down the
street runs away, Yes, did have a gun, but threw

(01:05:12):
it away, runs away, is shot, decides to give up,
and as he has his hands up, he's shot and
killed by by deputies. And four witnesses saw what happened.
To say it was a murder, To say that They
clearly saw his hands up and they shot him in
cold blood. We have good evidence to the in the
sense that the thirteen shots tenemum are directly in the back,

(01:05:35):
two of them under the back of the head, one
is directly in the middle of the head, and one
is a crazy shot from the the middle of the
head out. But one is directly in the middle of
the head that comes out of his mouth, and so
that to me is gang Lang style execution. The Serrano
family civil lawsuit against the county is pending. The district
attorney has not decided whether the officers will be charged.

(01:05:59):
Did DA's office elected not to charge Bendido's affiliates Band Bam,
Big Listo, g Rod and Silver in the Kennedy Hall attack.
In February, a report by the Los Angeles County Office
of Inspector General found that the internal investigation was not
sufficient and did not follow department procedure, even going as

(01:06:21):
far as to call it a cover up. In August,
Bendido's associates Pedro Guerrero, Gonzalez and Noel Lopez were charged
with one count of filing a false report and one
count of perjury, respectively. After asking another deputy to lie Guerrero.
Gonzalez wrote in his report a man who was taken

(01:06:42):
into custody through a rifle during a raid. In reality,
the man was holding a video game controller. Noel Lopez
also included the lie in a sworn declaration. According to
prosecutors and witness testimony, the case is making its way
through the court. Bendido's A Elia's Jonathan Mirramontez and Woodrow
Kim were charged with covering up assaulting a passenger of

(01:07:05):
a car being pursued by l A s D Deputies.
The other occupants were later killed by deputies, including a
three thousand boys associate. Kim and Miramantez followed the man
who exited the car and drove into him, striking him
with the door of their patrol vehicle. Video shows the
man being launched several feet. A judge dismissed counts against

(01:07:29):
deputies and a preliminary hearing in September, which is rare.
In spite of the deep rooted history of abuse you've
heard on this podcast, deputies are still portrayed as heroes
on television shows and movies. Maybe you've even seen some
studies show that it has an impact on how people
think and treat the people around them. Next week will

(01:07:53):
be looking at what coppaganda does to your beliefs and
a TV show all about deputy gangs. I used to
a low Dida who hood moment. Fuck the police, I'm
a fucking trophy even listening to a tradition of violence.
History of deputy Gangs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's

(01:08:13):
Department hosted an executive produced by series Castle, voice acting
by ras Alisa, music by Yellow Hill and Steels. If
you're enjoying a tradition of violence, please give us a
five star rating and leave a written review. We want
to hear from you. If you have a question about
deputy Gangs or the l C, please send an email
to L A. S D Gangs at gmail dot com.

(01:08:34):
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