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Lancaster sniper hoax spurs lawsuit

by City News Service • July 28, 2020 16 Comments

[Left] Dozens of SWAT deputies descended on the scene via helicopter on Aug. 21, 2019. [Right] Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris held a press conference shortly after the incident and said it was “insanity” to house mentally ill people so close to the sheriff’s station.
LANCASTER – A double-leg amputee is suing Los Angeles County and Sheriff Alex Villanueva, alleging three deputies barged into his Lancaster apartment and threw him to the ground in the wake of a false report by another deputy that he was under fire from a sniper.

Jaime Flores alleges civil rights violations, negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He seeks unspecified damages in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Monday.

The sheriff’s department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former Deputy Angel Reinosa, then a 21-year-old rookie, reported that he was shot in the shoulder while standing in the parking lot of the Lancaster sheriff’s station in the 500 block of West Lancaster Boulevard about 2:50 p.m. last Aug. 21.

The ambush report triggered a full LASD response, including a large containment perimeter and an hours-long search of an apartment building where Reinosa said the shot originated.

Villanueva announced about a week later that the shooting claim was a hoax and that Reinosa was no longer with the department. He has since been charged with two felony counts of insurance fraud and one misdemeanor count of filing a false police report.

Reinosa’s attorney, Dmitry Gorin, has denied any wrongdoing on the part of his client, saying the ex-deputy believed “strongly that he was shot” and received “extensive medical treatment at the hospital.”

Flores lived in an apartment complex in the 500 block of West Jackman Street and was asleep on his bed when three deputies barged into his unit with rifles drawn, the suit states. One of the deputies pushed Flores’ wheelchair out of his way and joined with his colleagues in pointing their weapons at the plaintiff, asking, “Where is the gun?,” the suit alleges.

Flores replied he had no weapon and inquired about why the deputies were there, telling them they had no right to be in his apartment and asking if they had a warrant, the suit states. He showed the deputies his deformed hands to prove he was unable to hold a gun and tried to sit up so it was clear he was a double-amputee from the knees down and therefore not a menace to them, the suit states.

Despite seeing he was an amputee, two of the deputies lifted Flores up and threw him across the room, the suit alleges. The plaintiff used both hands to brace himself, but his legs landed on the floor and he suffered an open wound, according to his court papers, which further allege the deputies used excessive force because Flores was not a threat to them and did not resist arrest.

Previous related stories:

Ex-deputy arrested for Lancaster sniper

Sheriff: Deputy who claimed he was shot “no longer employed” by department

Lancaster deputy “fabricated” claim that he was shot 

Deputies recover pellet rifle during search for Lancaster shooting suspect

Deputy wounded in ambush outside Lancaster Sheriff’s Station

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Filed Under: Crime/ Safety, Home, Lancaster, Los Angeles County

16 comments for "Lancaster sniper hoax spurs lawsuit"

  1. Eastside Laces says

    July 31, 2020 at 4:02 am

    And these are the kinds of cops that conservatives and the “Blue Lives Matter” morons support. They love when police officers behave this way and will find every little excuse to legitimize it.

    Reply
  2. Beecee says

    July 29, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    Lol…..
    Mutants

    Reply
  3. BobDob says

    July 29, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    He is a double amputee, has deformed hands.. why throw him like a rag doll? They caused and open wound on his stump… DE-ESCALATION must be enforced… Now the taxpayers have to pay for this police brutality episode. These types of situations will diminish significantly if the “police misconduct” lawsuit awards were paid with monies from their own retirement funds.

    Reply
  4. Lily says

    July 29, 2020 at 7:50 am

    Jaime Flores should go after Rex Parris too.

    Reply
    • Vic says

      July 29, 2020 at 10:07 am

      The entire building should go after Rex. He went on TV and said some terrible things, not to mention he made up a bunch of garbage about seeing the supposedly shot sheriff in ‘great pain’. What a BS’er Rex is. He called it insanity to put a building that house mentally ill people next to the sheriff’s station but he was bragging about it at the grand opening.

      Rex showed his true colors on that incident, not to mention all the other times he has spewed garbage out of his mouth.

      To this day he has never apologized for slandering the people in that building. He says he is unrepentant. I hope they sue his a$$.

      Reply
  5. Mike Murray says

    July 29, 2020 at 6:31 am

    Some people will Sue for anything. The Sheriff were doing there job to protect the community. If you are going to Sue anyone, it should be the Deputy that caused and fabricated the whole story.

    Reply
    • LocalSheriffLikesYou says

      July 29, 2020 at 11:00 am

      We’ll remember this next time we barge into your house looking for nonexistent guns. And make sure you thank us for beating the crap out of you too. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

      Reply
    • Surex says

      July 29, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      And the mayor who spread the myth, blamed the mentally ill, and led the charge. The picture in the story shows him as he was bloviating his nonsense.

      Reply
  6. Alby says

    July 29, 2020 at 5:23 am

    Blue lives don’t matter

    Reply
  7. Mel says

    July 28, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    Although I have legs, they don’t function. My hands are deformed. If I were handled the way this poor man was, I’d hire an attorney and file a huge lawsuit against these thugs called cops. The physical damages take a long time to heal, but the emotional pain never goes away.

    At least I’d have the best care my lawsuit winnings could buy, nice home, private nurses, etc. And the former cops would be cleaning pool halls at night. (No offense to pool hall cleaners intended).

    Reply
    • Alby says

      July 29, 2020 at 2:02 pm

      Ignorant fool.

      Reply
  8. David says

    July 28, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Whats new. LACSD told my dad he could beat the crap out of me if he wanted to. So he did. They did a lot of other things to me and I swore in my teens if I ever come into money Ill be hiring the best lawyers in the country and Ill be suing them like [removed] crazy.

    I went to them and told them I was being abused at home, my dad was beating me up all the time. They called him because they knew him, and had him come get me.

    I had tried several times to get removed my home and each time, I was told to go home or my dad was called.

    Thanks to them, my best friend is dead. Also trying to get away from an abusive home..

    The LACSD is the embodyment of the stanford experiment. As are most police.

    Reply
    • Maria says

      July 28, 2020 at 7:32 pm

      ❤️

      Reply
  9. LACSD Hoax says

    July 28, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    “The ambush report triggered a full LASD response, including a large containment perimeter and an hours-long search…”

    Send the bill to Reinoso.

    Reply
    • Surex says

      July 29, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      All this had Rex’s full endorsement.

      Reply
      • While Rome Burns says

        July 29, 2020 at 9:43 pm

        With the Mayor’s encouragement these officers went all out and violated the rights of residence minding their own business. Our Mayors new Amerika.

        Reply

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