LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The chief of staff to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón allegedly threatened to place an Azusa police officer who arrested him earlier this month on a “dishonest cop” list, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Joseph Iniguez, 36, reportedly became belligerent toward the officer after his car was stopped late in the evening on Dec. 11 in the 900 block of East Alosta Avenue in Azusa for making an illegal U-turn. Iniguez’s fiancé was driving at the time, according to colleagues in Gascón’s office who spoke with The Los Angeles Daily News.
During the stop, Iniguez allegedly “told the officer that pulled them over ‘you [f----d] up’ and then said he’d put him in the Brady system,” according to a prosecutor. The “Brady List” is a record of law enforcement officers who have been documented as lying in an official capacity. Prosecutors must notify defendants and their attorneys whenever a Brady List officer is involved in their case.
Iniguez was arrested for allegedly being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and booked into jail on a misdemeanor offense. He was released about four hours later.
Iniguez claimed the couple were driving home from a wedding when they decided to stop at a restaurant in Azusa. An officer approached their vehicle, and the aide said he stepped out of the car to film the encounter out of fear for himself and his fiancé.
Azusa police union president C.J. Wilkins said Iniguez had not yet released the video, and expressed confidence that “the officer will be found to have been in complete compliance with the state law, and department policy.”
“The officer that arrested Mr. Iniguez did so with full legal authority and without malice,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins also pointed to a potential conflict of interest in that the D.A.’s Justice Integrity Division, which would be responsible for investigating any misconduct within the Azusa Police Department, is overseen by Iniguez.
Iniguez has filed a complaint against the arresting officer with Azusa police.
Gascón’s office has thus far declined to comment on the matter. Any potential criminal matters arising from the arrest will be referred to the state Attorney General’s Office for a review of potential conflicts of interest, however, the office assured.
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