A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge for assaulting a 23-year-old transgender man after being flipped off. Joseph Benza III, 36, was charged with deprivation of rights under color of law and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Surveillance video shows Benza grabbing the victim, punching him, and body-slamming him. Prosecutors say Benza attempted to cover up the assault.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge for assaulting a 23-year-old transgender man, body-slamming the victim who had flipped him off just before, prosecutors said Wednesday.Joseph Benza III, a 36-year-old Corona resident, was charged Tuesday with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and agreed to plead guilty to the federal civil rights violation in a plea agreement filed the same day, according to the U.S.
Then, according to the plea agreement, Benza went up to the victim as he was getting out of his car and grabbed him without giving any commands beforehand.As the victim tried to pull away, telling the deputy 'Don't touch me,' Benza body-slammed him, prosecutors said. While the victim was on the ground, Benza punched him and pressed his face into the pavement, an allegation prosecutors said he admitted to in the plea agreement.
Assault Police Brutality Transgender Rights Law Enforcement Federal Charges
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