Video: Police Beat Handcuffed Man

by Steven Thomas
Cop Block
Oct. 25, 2015

Jovan Jimenez has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the San Diego County Sheriff's Office after an officer beat Jimenez for saying something 'rude'. That incident, which was caught on video, shows Jimenez being grabbed by the neck, thrown against the wall and onto the ground, then being hit on the head by the officer's flashlight. Jimenez suffered injuries to his head from the flashlight, bruises on his side, and a knee wound. Those injuries have left him with chronic headaches, memory and other cognitive problems from the head injury. The lawsuit seeks $10 million in punitive damages and $10 million in compensatory damages. (Click to view the lawsuit documents)

The local prosecutor is NOT investigating the incident because, according to the DA's public information officer , Tanya Sierra, "The San Diego County District Attorney's Office only investigates incidents in which a peace officer discharges a firearm."

Below is the press release from his attorney, Jerry L. Steering:

On July 12, 2015 Riverside resident Jovan Jimenez was beaten unconscious while handcuffed by a San Diego County Deputy Sheriff. The beating was captured on the hotel's video monitoring system, and both state and federal authorities are investigating the incident.

Jovan Jimenez was a paid guest at the Harrah's Southern California Resort Hotel. He got into an altercation with another guest by his room at the hotel, and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department responded to the hotel. When they did, they arrested Jovan Jimenez for simple battery, handcuffed him and began escorting him to jail.

Mr. Jimenez made a rude comment to one of the arresting deputies, that resulted in a handcuffed Jovan Jimenez being grabbed by his throat, slammed into the hallway wall, thrown onto the floor, and struck on top of his head with an aluminum police flashlight. Mr. Jimenez was knocked unconscious and suffered a serious head injury.

Mr. Jimenez was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, and was released from police custody. Mr. Jimenez' lawyer, Newport Beach attorney Jerry L. Steering, believes that this case is not unique; save for the video recording that shows exactly what happened:

Although Jovan Jimenez was in handcuffs and was compliantly walking with the deputies to go to jail, after they viciously attacked him in the hotel hallway, they charged him with the most abused criminal statute in California; violation of California Penal Code Section 148(a)(1); resisting or obstructing or delaying a peace officer; commonly known as "contempt of cop." Public Prosecutors are all too happy to assist the police in protecting them from civil liability. This perversion of justice, by criminally prosecuting the victims of police abuse takes place in every county in California, every day. It has nothing to do with race. The police do this to everyone. This is routine. If the vicious attack on Mr. Jimenez had not been video recorded, he would have been charged with violation of Section 148(a)(1), or possibly the "turbo" version of that statute; California Penal Code Section 69; using or threatening the use of force or violence against a peace officer to deter or prevent them from performing a duty of their office. Luckily for him, it was recorded.