Brickbat: For the Birds

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Joseph Benza III faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for beating a man who gave him the finger. According to court documents, Benza abandoned a domestic disturbance call when he saw Emmett Brock flip him off. He followed Brock’s car for 1.8 miles, reaching speeds over 50 mph, without ever attempting to stop him. During that time, Benza called another officer saying the driver had flipped him off and that he planned to use force against him. When Brock pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot, Benza approached and said he’d just stopped him. When Brock said he hadn’t been stopped, Benza threw him to the ground and repeatedly punched him. Brock was charged with three felonies and, as a result, he lost his job as a teacher; the charges were later dropped when the Los Angeles Times posted video of the encounter. Several sergeants directed Benza not to include the real reason he stopped Brock in his incident report. A sheriff’s office investigation previously cleared Benza of violating policy in the incident, but a spokesman now says there will be a new administrative investigation. It isn’t clear if any of the other deputies mentioned in court filings face charges. The sheriff’s office spokesman said other employees could potentially face discipline after it concludes a new investigation.

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