LA protesters decry violent arrest of disabled man: 'Need the sheriffs to be held accountable'

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has become the target of protests following an incident in which a disabled man, protesters allege, suffered excessive force during an arrest.

Alejandro Hernandez, according to The Messenger's Yelena Dzhanova, was washing his truck in front of his house in East L.A. when officers pulled up. Dzhanova reports that Hernandez, who had one of his legs amputated a few years ago, ended up on the ground during the arrest and was placed in a chokehold by the deputies.

Christian Contreras, Hernandez' attorney, believes that a video of the arrest shows that deputies used excessive force.

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Contreras told KABC-TV Channel 7 (the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles), "While one deputy had a carotid chokehold around his neck, which is outlawed in California, another deputy was freely punching his face. The video speaks for itself."

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Hernandez has a history of gang membership. But Hernandez's mother, Gabriela Ortega, indicated that he is no longer active in a gang.

Gabriela Ortega told KABC, "We try to steer our kids to the right path. Sometimes, they choose the wrong path. But now, they say, 'OK, he's a gang member.' And to them, he's always going to be a gang member…. He's a human being. I understand they're doing their job, but there was no need for that brutality that they did — the beating that they gave him…. I need these sheriffs to be held accountable for what they're doing because it's not right."

Gabriela Ortega also told KABC, "He did the crime, he did the time. But now, he's been good for so long."

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Read The Messenger's full report at this link and KABC-TV's report here.