A Glendale police officer who was caught on video kicking a juvenile within the face whereas he was pinned down contained in the Galleria mall has been charged with assault, prosecutors mentioned Monday.
Gonzalo Zendejas, 39, was charged with one depend of assault beneath colour of authority for the incident, which came about in June 2021 as officers responded to a shoplifting name contained in the Dick’s Sporting Items retailer.
Video of the arrest, first revealed by CBS, exhibits a number of officers wrestling with and putting the teenager whereas he’s being held down. Zendejas, who will be seen kicking the inclined juvenile within the face, was the one officer charged. The Los Angeles County district lawyer’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark concerning the different officers concerned within the arrest or the standing of the teenager who was struck.
“Whereas cops face an awfully difficult and demanding job whereas working to guard our communities, this accountability doesn’t excuse actions that endanger others or undermine public belief,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón mentioned in an announcement. “This incident is a critical violation of the responsibility to serve with integrity and respect.”
Sgt. Vahe Abramyan, a Glendale police spokesman, mentioned Zendejas has remained on administrative go away because the incident. The three different officers who took half within the arrest have since returned to work, Abramyan mentioned.
Zendejas has but to seem in court docket however faces as much as three years in jail if convicted as charged. It was not instantly clear who his lawyer was.
