Two California deputies from San Diego County are facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting two men during an arrest in May.
San Diego County Deputies Nicholas Morgan and Joshua Nahan are slated to appear in court for being too tough in the arrest Gerardo Martinez, Jr. and his father on May 7.
The arrest, which was filmed and posted to Facebook by a neighbor in the Vista community, showed pushing the senior Martinez into a wooden fence, while striking his son in the back of the head while he lay face down on concrete, resisting arrest.
According to NBC San Diego, Morgan has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault without lawful necessity by an officer and faces two years, while Nahan faces one count of the same charge. Each individual charge carries a one year sentence if convicted.
One Vista resident praised the charges levied against the deputies, claiming the action is a symbolic stepping stone to bridging the perceived gap between the community and police.
“A lot of times the sheriff’s department doesn’t hear who they are working for. They are working for us,” Alan Cabrera said.
Activists -such as Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego member Darwin Fishman- claim that the San Diego County deputies are “cowboys” that carry out the agency’s agenda.
“Right now, we have cowboys that are riding around North County doing whatever they say,“ Fishman said. “Certainly this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Charges against the senior Martinez were dropped, while his son pleaded guilty to one felony count of corporal injury of a roommate or spouse, and has been sentenced to four years of probation.
© 2018 Bright Mountain Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
The content of this webpage may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written consent of Bright Mountain Media, Inc. which may be contacted at info@brightmountainmedia.com, ticker BMTM.
