A Latino couple is suing Antioch police, saying officers used excessive force and violated their civil rights while arresting them in 2022.
The suit comes as the FBI and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office investigate the Antioch Police Department for alleged civil rights violations. Nearly half of the department — 45 officers — have been identified as participants in chains of racist and homophobic texts that, among other things, made light of brutalizing people of color.
Filed last week in federal court, the suit says plaintiffs Juan Laspada and his fiancee Rebecca Rodriguez were waiting for an Uber outside of a friend’s apartment building on Feb. 25, 2022, when Antioch police pulled up in a police car and asked if they were alright.
The suit says they told officers they were fine and were waiting for an Uber, when officers told Laspada they wanted to speak with him. Laspada allegedly said he didn’t want to talk and tried walking away from officers.
The suit says police didn’t tell Laspada they were detaining or arresting him.
Police then allegedly “grabbed Juan Laspada, threw him to ground, placed him in a prone position on his stomach, and began to punch the Plaintiff several times in his face, body and ear area and issuing knee strikes to the Plaintiff’s body,” the lawsuit alleges.
An officer punched Rodriguez in the face and knocked her to the ground when she pleaded with officers to stop striking Laspada, according to the suit.
Laspada was allegedly handcuffed and left in a prone position on his stomach, with an officer putting his legs “in figure four lock (hobbled his legs) and placed all of his body weight on the Plaintiff’s back area, restricting his ability to breathe and causing him to scream out in pain,” the suit says.
Police then allegedly searched Laspada’s backpack without a warrant or his consent. Rodriguez was allegedly handcuffed and taken to the police station, where she was cited.
The suit says Rodriguez and Laspada were never charged with a crime related to the incident.
A spokesperson for Antioch police declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Laspada was allegedly taken to a hospital, where he was medically evaluated and released from custody. The suit says the beating caused Laspada to suffer severe headaches, bruising to his body, bleeding in his inner ear, and emotional distress.
The couple’s suit says officers didn’t have suspicion based on “any articulable facts” that the couple was engaged in criminal activity and police assaulted Laspada because he exercised his right to discontinue the conversation and walk away from officers.
The suit also alleges the couple was racially profiled.
The suit doesn’t identify the specific officers or ask for specific monetary damages yet. Among other allegations, the suit accuses Antioch police of having a history of racially profiling people of Latino descent.
I think the x could be left of Latin since most Latins don’t want the x. Sounds silly anyway. Other then that it sounds like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Why would waiting for an Uber draw police attention. More to that story.
I bet John Burris represents the couple. He is a great attorney so the police union and the city is about to cough up some serious dough just because some “finest” got caught “venting” in the group chat.
John Burris a great attorney? Ha-Ha! That’s hilarious! Anybody with even the slightest sence of morality can clearly see that the guy is nothing more than an ambulance chasing bottom feeder.
I have heard that the term ” Letinx” is offensive.
Excessive force?????? YOU ARE BEING ARRESTED!!!! try to avoid that “maybe comply with the cops just for a second” and maybe force won’t be used at all.
Oh yeah? How about the cops follow the laws, the training, procedures so that they don’t get into excess force lawsuit.
Every police agency has policy on reasonable force, first be the law enforcers and abide the policy. Otherwise the criminals and theirs lawyers get paid!
So if a cop asks you a question you have the right to ask why (he does not have ultimate power but he was there for a reason) and have the question answered but when you ignore it and walk away or become “combative” (say no I do not want to talk to you) it gives them probable cause or at the least reasonable cause to detain you. No different if a cop breaks down your front door and tells you to get down on the floor…..”right or wrong” comply and then fight your battle later. Don’t let your attitude determine your freedom or time above ground here, there are better hills to die on. It is better not to be dead here and always time for an argument later. for laughing matter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8.
I can smell bs a long way off.. sounds like they are just pissed they’re not getting part of the reparations, so they’re going to try it a different way..
Some people never learned about passing the attitude test. That most likely proved injurious in school, career, and relationships. Those early lessons missed sure make success more difficult.
The Chris Rock video will hopefully help those who ignored the early lessons.
Well…you could roll over ( you know being a boot kicker) and argue in court or you could stand up for your rights and still argue in court later.
If you stand your right and the cops beat your ass, more money for you or , in case of your demise, your family!
Dead person cannot lie in court. he said she said…….
Paul
You do realize that you have minimal rights when being arrested … right?
You do not have a right to resist arrest.
You can be quiet, to an extent, because you are still required to provide your name/identify your self.
Your car can be searched without your consent if they believe your car has contraband or has evidence in a crime.
And most interactions with law enforcement are not reported to the mass hysterical news agencies because they are civil. I think a lot of the bad interactions stem from people who THINK they know their rights – they are usually wrong.
Paul,
Are you a police officer? Or were once one? If not, you obviously have no idea what you are talking about and you are just another blind follower of the corrupt liberal media narrative.
Yours truly: been there, seen it & done it.
So what that i am not a cop; you do know that people could to research about cops, right?; main stream media (liberal) or lame stream media ( conservative) are just sources for researching.
The dim ones believe everything they hear, read and told to believe.
Guaranteed Paul is the guy who calls 911 because his neighbor is running his gas powered blower.
This is how I feel about gas powered equipment (https://www.claycord.com/2023/04/21/the-water-cooler-do-you-support-a-statewide-ban-of-gas-powered-garden-tools-equipment/)
So right you are not! Lol
An Antioch police officer did say he enjoyed drop kicking people in the head so… excessive force sounds like it is clearly in their wheelhouse. Hopefully the Antioch Police department cleans house so that they can avoid having a high profile on the Brady list.
I am sure this all happened exactly as they said. It is just a coincidence that this suit is being filed over a year later and just after Mayor DUI went on a witch hunt inside the police department. Just a coincidence.
Please note: that was intended to be read dripping with sarcasm
antioch will see litigation for years.
Requests for new trials from those incarcerated.
So does this mean that the DA office does its job; criminals walk because cops don’t do theirs jobs or being boneheads cuz they got caught “venting”?
No Paul it does not, glad you can just spew the tired media narrative but that doesn’t take much critical thought does it…
A obvious money grab while Antioch PD is under close scrutiny. So obvious that this is so opportunistic.
Money Grubber alert!
Lets play a cop beat me up, sue and then I will be rich, with that line of thinking you would be broke 2 days after receiving the check, the town of Antioch has become the pinata for those of questionable life style