Seven months after he was caught on camera throwing a black woman to the ground during a controversial use-of-force incident in a WinCo parking lot, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Trevor Kirk was arrested last week for alleged domestic assault.
Jail records show the 30-year-old Lancaster deputy was taken into custody by deputies from the Santa Clarita Sheriff's Station Thursday night and quickly released on $20,000 bail. His attorney, Tom Yu, said Monday that Kirk had not yet been formally charged.
“I'm pretty sure this arrest does not warrant a criminal filing against my client,” Yu told the Times, adding that the incident allegedly involving Kirk's wife was reported by a third party who was not a witness. “My understanding is that the wife did not wish to be prosecuted and that she denied all allegations made against Trevor.”
Kirk's wife did not respond to requests for comment.
In a statement Monday, the Sheriff's Department confirmed the misdemeanor arrest, which authorities say is currently under investigation.
“The Department takes allegations of domestic abuse seriously and does not tolerate criminal behavior by our staff,” the statement said. “We expect our employees to adhere to the highest legal and ethical standards necessary to serve our communities, both on and off duty.
At the time of his arrest, the department said, Kirk had already been relieved of duty in connection with the WinCo incident.
Caree Harper, an attorney representing the woman Kirk threw to the ground outside WinCo, said Monday that she was also investigating last week's arrest and saw it as part of a pattern.
“He's a woman beater and he should be taken off the streets and fired immediately,” she told the Times. “We have credible sources who say he has a pattern of violence.”
It is unclear exactly when the alleged abuse occurred, although Yu said it may have been “weeks or months” before. She also said she did not know the details of the allegation against his client, which she claimed only resulted in an arrest because law enforcement officers “have no choice” but to act upon any domestic violence allegation.
“This arrest has nothing to do with the WinCo incident,” he added. “Are very different”.
In June, officers responded to 911 calls about a robbery in progress at the WinCo grocery store on Avenue K in Lancaster. After arriving, they encountered a man and woman, later identified in court documents as Jacy Houseton and Damon Barnes, who reportedly matched the descriptions of the suspects given to 911.
As officers handcuffed Barnes in the parking lot, Houseton began recording with his phone. Within seconds, one of the officers ran up to her and grabbed her arm, apparently in an attempt to take her phone.
“You can't touch me,” he shouted. The officer threw her to the ground and her video showed him arguing with her, spraying pepper spray in her face and handcuffing her.
Barnes was cited on suspicion of resisting an officer, attempted petit larceny and interfering with a business. Houseton was hospitalized for the effects of the pepper spray and abrasions on her arm. She was released but cited for allegedly assaulting an officer and store loss prevention staff.
At a July 6 news conference, Luna called the incident “disturbing” and said the two officers involved had been removed from field duty pending an internal investigation, which officials said is still ongoing.
That same month, The Times revealed that the FBI had opened a criminal investigation in the incident, as well as one in Palmdale, where an officer was caught The camera hits a young mother in the face as she held on to her baby. The Sheriff's Department confirmed Monday that federal authorities are still reviewing the case.
In August, Houseton and Barnes filed a lawsuit against the Sheriff's Department and WinCo alleging assault, negligence and civil rights violations. They said they never stole anything from WinCo and had been unfairly harassed by security, even though surveillance footage showed them paying for their purchases.
In court papers, Kirk strongly denied several of the allegations and said others were too broad. The case is still pending in federal court.
