A newly released video has sparked new controversy over the 2021 arrest of a top Los Angeles County district aide. Lawyer. George Gascón during a traffic stop in Azusa.
Gascón's chief of staff, Joseph Iniguez, and his then-fiancé they were arrested late on the night of December 11, 2021, on suspicion of public intoxication and drunk driving, respectively.
Both Íñiguez and her then-fiancé were later released and charges were never filed. In January 2022, Íñiguez sued the department, alleging that her civil rights were violated during the stop.
The video, which was taken by Iñiguez and obtained by The Azusa City Times through a public records request, shows him arguing with police and claiming that his then-fiancé, who was handcuffed several feet away, was not did nothing wrong.
“You arrested the wrong person,” he tells officers in the five-minute video. “This is not right,” she adds later.
Police reports released by the department in 2022 I declare that Officers stopped Iniguez's fiancé, to whom he is now married, after he allegedly made an illegal U-turn and both the driver and passenger showed visible signs of alcohol intoxication.
The Azusa Police Department solved Iniguez's case. federal lawsuit last July for $10,000, claiming at the time that it was less expensive than taking him to trial.
Both police and Iñiguez say the video vindicates their respective interpretations of the events of that night in Azusa.
In a statement provided to The Times, Azusa Police Capt. Robert Landeros said the department conducted an internal review that concluded that “the officers involved acted in full compliance with the law and the policies of the Azusa Police Department.” .
Landeros added that the city and the department “strongly support our employees and the decisions made during this arrest.”
Landeros said KTLA-TV in an interview that he believes the video demonstrates that “our officers were treated with disrespect” during the stop. “It is not strange. It is worrying when it comes to a public official.”
Glen Jonas, Iniguez's attorney, said in a statement that the video is evidence that “Iniguez was 100%, without a doubt, falsely arrested” and that he “was lucid, calm, direct and in complete control” during the stop.
“Sir. In my opinion, Iniguez is a hero,” Jonas said in an email, noting that the official donated the settlement money to a nonprofit organization. “He took a false arrest and used it to protect the good guys.” citizens of Azusa who now thanks to him are protected with body cameras.
Gascón's office did not respond to a request for comment.
