A Southern California man
never thought that a dropped cigarette would result in him being
brutally assaulted and tortured by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's
deputy. Daniel Johnson, 26, a graduate of University of California,
Berkeley with no criminal history, screamed "stop, please!" and "I'm not
resisting! I'm not resisting!" over and over as the deputy held him
down, repeatedly electrocuting his genitals with a taser in front of his
family and neighbors.
Johnson explains that after
several discharges of the high voltage taser, he could literally smell
the flesh "cooking" off of his genitals. He later discovered that he had
in fact sustained multiple burns to the genital region, as a result of
this literal torture.
Now, Johnson has filed a
lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Johnson was
at his mother's Altadena home, cooking dinner back in December 26,
2012. That's when a man knocked on the door to inform Johnson that his
father was being ticketed for putting out a cigarette on the ground
Johnson's father was a 58-year-old disabled man. He may or may not
have intended to drop the cigarette, but Johnson explains that the man
walks with a cane and often drops things because of severe, medically
documented nerve damage in his hands.
Los Angeles "Deputy
Abdulfattah," is named in the complaint as the officer giving a $1,000
ticket and community service for littering. But Johnson tried to explain
to the officer that there was a medical condition with his father, and
the littering was likely accidental.
Abdulfattah told Johnson, "I can write you a ticket too if you want," the deputy said.
"I asked if it would be
possible for me to just pick it up," Johnson said. "We don't have $1,000
to pay that ticket," he said, trying to plead with the deputy.
As Johnson began to walk away to inform his mother of what was
happening, another deputy, named in the complaint as "Deputy Russell,"
grabbed Johnson from behind slamming him against the patrol car and into
a concrete post.
Johnson's parents shouted: "leave him alone! He hasn't done anything wrong."
Deputy Russell then put
Johnson in a "full nelson hold" wrapping his arms under Johnson's
armpits with his hands behind Johnson's head. That's when deputy
Abdulfattah began punching Johnson's father in the face. Then
Abdulfattah turned to the restrained Johnson, and used a Taser on his
genitals over and over.
"He was right above me as he Tased me," Johnson explained. "There's no mistake that he was trying to Tase me in my genitalia."
Johnson's mother says that
the deputy stared at her throughout the whole ordeal, like he was trying
to show her that he was able to do anything he wanted to her son.
"He's looking directly at
me every time he pulls that trigger, and at one point my son says, 'Mom,
I'm OK," Johnson's mother, Rose Gonzales said. "So at that point, I
realize this guy is doing this because I am reacting."
After being tortured in
front of his family by the officers, Johnson was arrested for battery on
a police officer. Those charges were never filed.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's department says that the officer in question is "the best deputy in the department."
Help get the word out. Contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at
(800) 698-8255, a number assigned specifically for complaints about the Department's deputies. Email
webemail@lasd.org and demand that these deputies be fired and brought up on charges.
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