A San Fernando police officer has been charged after allegedly assaulting a man at a gas station last summer, officials announced Tuesday.
Saul Garibay faces a misdemeanor count of assault under the color of authority in connection with an incident that occurred on June 15, 2021, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Garibay, 53, was responding to a disturbance call at the gas station along the 1700 block of Truman Street. He asked the man to leave the area, but when the man started recording Garibay with a cellphone, the officer allegedly knocked the phone out of the man’s hand and pushed him away.
“We must hold accountable police officers and protect members of the public from unjustified and excessive force by the people we entrust to protect us,” L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón said. “Police accountability helps us build safer and healthier communities.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.