(KTLA) – A former police officer with the Veterans Affairs Police Department (VAPD) has been sentenced for hitting an unarmed man dozens of times with a baton, officials announced Friday.
Juan Anthony Carrillo, 46, of Alhambra, was sentenced to one year in federal prison for striking the man about 45 times with a baton in less than a minute, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The sentence is the statutorily maximum available for this offense, said the DOJ.
According to reports, around 4 a.m. on Jan. 16, 2022, another VAPD officer had detained the 34-year-old victim — referred to in court documents only as R.V. — at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The prosecutors described the victim as an “unhoused” individual walking with a clear glass pipe on medical center grounds, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a sentencing memo filed in federal court. The L.A. Times reported that the officer suspected the pipe was drug paraphernalia.
After arriving to assist, Carrillo beat R.V. with a police baton up to 45 times over about 41 seconds while the man “screamed in pain,” the DOJ said.
“Most, if not all, of the baton strikes were delivered while the other officer was on top of the victim, who was unarmed,” reported the DOJ.
The DOJ also noted that Carrillo weighed about 60 pounds more than R.V., while the other officer was 85 pounds heavier and about 8 inches taller than the man
“As a result of the beating, the victim sustained injuries that included cuts on both legs and a broken bone on his right foot,” officials said.
On July 26, 2024, the DOJ said, Carrillo pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of deprivation of rights under color of law and specifically for using excessive force.
The DOJ did not immediately release the current status of the victim or the other officer involved.
