By Michael Ruiz | Fox News
Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva is calling out District Attorney George Gascon over a claim that the sheriff’s office "agreed" to the controversial charges and lenient sentencing of a wrong-way driving teen who mowed down a mom and her infant while high on drugs in a stolen car.
"We were never consulted as we were not the investigating agency," the Los Angeles official wrote on Facebook and Twitter early Saturday. "Sheriff’s investigators would never be OK with the lightweight sentencing in this hit-and-run case. Stop empowering and encouraging criminal behavior. Hold them accountable #VictimsMatter."
The teen suspect, now 17, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and a single count of hit-and-run, all felonies. He tested positive for drugs at the time of the crash and was speeding the wrong way down a one-way residential street in a stolen car when he veered into the woman and her 8-month-old. He had initially been charged with DUI and could have faced other charges.
Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva is calling out District Attorney George Gascon over a claim that the sheriff’s office "agreed" to the controversial charges and lenient sentencing of a wrong-way driving teen who mowed down a mom and her infant while high on drugs in a stolen car.
"We were never consulted as we were not the investigating agency," the Los Angeles official wrote on Facebook and Twitter early Saturday. "Sheriff’s investigators would never be OK with the lightweight sentencing in this hit-and-run case. Stop empowering and encouraging criminal behavior. Hold them accountable #VictimsMatter."
The teen suspect, now 17, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and a single count of hit-and-run, all felonies. He tested positive for drugs at the time of the crash and was speeding the wrong way down a one-way residential street in a stolen car when he veered into the woman and her 8-month-old. He had initially been charged with DUI and could have faced other charges.
The teen received a sentence of five to seven months in a juvenile probation camp, which prosecutors have described as "less than a military school and a little bit tougher than a summer camp."
LOS ANGELES DA GEORGE GASCON ‘OVERSTATES HIS AUTHORITY,’ CAN'T IGNORE CALIFORNIA LAW, COURT RULES
"As the car approached me and my child, I stopped walking and moved the stroller and myself up against a building on the right side of the road to ensure that we gave the reckless driver plenty of room to pass," the mother, who asked to be identified only as Rachel, said in her victim’s impact statement. "As the car got dangerously close to us, [the juvenile suspect] turned the wheels in our direction and accelerated as he aimed to hurt us."
Gascon’s office told Fox News Digital Friday that the sentence was "an appropriate resolution."
Villanueva’s office appeared surprised by the DA’s statement Friday and told Fox News Digital that the hit-and-run itself occurred within the Los Angeles Police Department’s jurisdiction and was handled by LAPD detectives and Gascon’s office.
"The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department did not agree to charges we did not file," a spokesperson said. The female victim, in her impact statement, said she was disgusted with the DA's policies and for approaching the case with the "lightest touch possible."
"George Gascon doesn’t value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there and would rather reward the monsters like [the juvenile suspect] by demonstrating to them that their actions have no consequences," she wrote. "DA Gascon is telling him and every other thug in LA County that it doesn’t matter if you try to murder people. Why are Gascon’s policies prioritizing the livelihood of rotten monsters when my child, my baby, who is incapable of protecting himself, is left to fend for himself, and is essentially being told his life doesn’t matter?"
Gascon’s office has come under fire for months for what critics say is a soft approach to prosecuting crime. He has maintained that his reforms are aimed at creating a fairer criminal justice system.
Gascon is facing a second recall effort, which has the support of deputy prosecutors in his own office. The petition surpassed 500,000 signatures earlier this week, and organizers say they need just 67,000 more by July 6 to secure a ballot.
On Thursday, a California appeals court upheld an injunction barring Gascon from refusing to charge "three-strike" cases, which dramatically increase prison terms for repeat felons. The judge told him he has to uphold the law.
Alex Villanueva bound for runoff in bid to remain LA County sheriff
KTLA 5 News ABC 7 Los Angeles Drive By Fake News Meidas Reports Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's bid for a second term will move to a November runoff election against former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna, with the pair jumping to distant leads Tuesday night according to early ballot results.
Early returns showed Villanueva leading the nine-person field with 30.4% of the vote, while Luna collected 27.9%. Sheriff's Lt. Eric Strong was a distant third with 12.8% of the vote.
After three-and-a-half years on the job, a multitude of controversies and constant fighting with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors -- which oversees the department's $3.5-billion budget -- the results will show just how much support Villanueva has.
He ran as a Democrat in 2018 and became the first person in 104 years to defeat a standing sheriff seeking reelection.
During his time as sheriff, Villanueva has appeared to some as a conservative Republican rather than a Democrat, which is something he challenges.
"Every single thing I campaigned on, I accomplished," he said. "So, them trying to paint me somehow as a born-again conservative, the facts don't bear out. I'm going to do things based on what's right for public safety outside of partisan labels."
Incumbent Alex Villanueva bound for runoff in bid to remain LA County sheriff
Wednesday, June 8, 2022 12:41AM
Developer Rick Caruso and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass will face each other in a November runoff election to determine who will be the next mayor of Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's bid for a second term will move to a November runoff election against former Long Beach police Chief Robert Luna, with the pair jumping to distant leads Tuesday night according to early ballot results.
Early returns showed Villanueva leading the nine-person field with 30.4% of the vote, while Luna collected 27.9%. Sheriff's Lt. Eric Strong was a distant third with 12.8% of the vote.
After three-and-a-half years on the job, a multitude of controversies and constant fighting with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors -- which oversees the department's $3.5-billion budget -- the results will show just how much support Villanueva has.
He ran as a Democrat in 2018 and became the first person in 104 years to defeat a standing sheriff seeking reelection.
During his time as sheriff, Villanueva has appeared to some as a conservative Republican rather than a Democrat, which is something he challenges.
"Every single thing I campaigned on, I accomplished," he said. "So, them trying to paint me somehow as a born-again conservative, the facts don't bear out. I'm going to do things based on what's right for public safety outside of partisan labels."
Meet the eight candidates who are running against Alex Villanueva in the upcoming race for Los Angeles County sheriff.
Here are the other eight candidates running besides Villanueva.
· Retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna
· Retired LASD Capt. Britta Steinbrenner
· Retired LASD Assistant Chief and current LAX Police Chief Cecil Rhambo
· Retired LASD commander Eli Vera
· LASD Lt. Eric Strong
· Retired LASD Capt. Matt Rodriguez
· State Parole Agent April Saucedo Hood
· LASD Sgt. Karla Carranza
Almost all of them have connections to the sheriff's department except for Luna.
"In law enforcement, people are supposed to look at us at the people who not only enforce the law, but we listen and cooperate with for example, oversight, subpoenas," said Luna. "If I get subpoenaed, I need to comply with that, just like every community member in L.A. County does, and for some reason, [Villanueva] stands up there and thinks he's beyond the law. This is not about us as individuals. It is about the people we serve, and we have to come up with solutions. We have to problem solve and at the end of the day, what kind of person fights and calls people names to the same individuals who control your budget."
However, the candidates with connections to the sheriff's department said their understanding will help them turn it around.
"When this sheriff was elected, I volunteered to take on this issue because I recognize that as long as we have secret societies, cliques, gangs, station tattoos operating within the sheriff's department, we will not be able to take step one in regaining the public's trust," said Vera.
Strong also addressed the issue, saying: "Our public, our citizens -- we pay for these bodycams. We should not have to pay again to fight legal battles to get the information released. So with me, you'll have true transparency."
Rodriguez believes the Sheriff's Department has been turned around and needs swift action.
"Everybody around the country emulated our training," said Rodriguez. "They emulated our models. They emulated our academy. It's not that way anymore. The Sheriff's Department has been completely dismantled, defunded and destroyed under [Villanueva,]"
Meanwhile, Steinbrenner believes now is the time to change the department's culture.
"In order to do so, we have to change the whole makeup of the department," she said. "Number one: We're going to be known for community policing. Not our deputy gangs, and it is time to put a female in office."
Rhambo believes change starts with a collaborative effort.
"Rising crime rate involves working with other agencies throughout the county of L.A.," he said. "At the airport, I work with multi-jurisdictional task forces and federal partners."
Whether it's fighting COVID-19 vaccine mandates, visiting homeless encampments in the city of L.A., or threatening to pull out of the security contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Villanueva has been all over the news. It's something that could end up helping in the primary, which will draw fewer voters than the general election
