Dave Biscobing is ABC15’s Chief Investigative Reporter.
MESA, AZ — The Mesa Police Department is facing a federal civil rights lawsuit after multiple officers knocked a man unconscious during a violent arrest at his goddaughter’s quinceanera.“Daniel was wrongly and maliciously charged with a crime in order to cover-up these Officers’ improper actions,” wrote attorney Jocquese Blackwell in legal filings. “It is also evident that the City of Mesa Police Department has a ‘warrior’ type culture of strike first to gain control of the situation.
Body camera videos obtained by ABC15 show multiple officers walking up to Barraza and surrounding him to ask him what happened. Monarrez then suddenly pushes Barraza with two hands and a pair of other officers throw him to the ground. While on top of Barraza, the three officers repeatedly punched, kicked and kneed him in the back and head.The video shows the strikes knocked Barraza unconscious for several seconds.
In legal filings, Barraza’s attorney claimed the officers lied about what happened to justify their use of force.The records show their reports do contain several false statements that are not supported by their body camera footage. Monarrez previously received a written reprimand in another high-profile use-of-force case. A man named Robert Johnson received a $350,000 settlement after a 2018 arrest.
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