A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced to two years in prison after he falsely imprisoned a victim and attempted to cover up his crime.
On April 13, 2020, Miguel Angel Vega, 33, of Corona, and his then-partner, Christopher Blair Hernandez, 38, approached two young Black males in Wilson Park in Compton and demanded to search them for firearms. An additional victim, identified in court documents as “J.A.”, began yelling at the officers to release the young men and soon after, Vega and Hernandez unlawfully arrested him, without informing him of his rights, or securing his seatbelt in the LASD SUV.
While still detained, J.A. suffered a cut above his eye after Vega crashed into a wall while pursuing another young male on a bicycle whom he believed possessed a firearm. He then instructed J.A. to run away.
When responding officers arrived, Vega initially told them that no one else was in the patrol car during the crash. He later switched his story and told officers that he and Hernandez originally arrested J.A. for being under the influence of a controlled substance.
To add to the cover-up, Vega and Hernandez had another deputy issue J.A. a false citation for being under the influence of methamphetamine and they filed false incident reports that iterated their initial claims, even adding that J.A. appeared to be under the influence of a stimulant and threatened people at the park while he was under influence of a stimulant.
Vega pleaded guilty on Sept. 6 to one count of deprivation of rights and on Monday, he was sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Hernandez pleaded guilty on July 24 to one count of conspiracy pursuant to a cooperation plea agreement. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2024. He faces five years in federal prison.
“When law enforcement officers abuse their power, they tear at our social fabric by undermining public trust in the equal application of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. “By violating his sacred oath to uphold the law, Vega also betrayed his fellow deputies, the vast majority of whom sacrifice every day to keep our community safe.”