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LASD faces lawsuit by family of suicide victim
LA County deputies are accused of watching YouTube videos instead of doing wellness checks. Attorneys for the family of Maxwell Aguirre are calling on the district attorney to file a criminal lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff's Department, saying that they were falsifying government records and need to be held accountable.
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LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County deputies are facing a lawsuit after being accused of watching YouTube videos instead of conducting required wellness checks.
The family of Maxwell Aguirre is calling on the District Attorney's Office to file a criminal lawsuit against the LA County Sheriff's Office saying they were falsifying government records and need to be held accountable.
What they're saying:
Aguirre joined the Air Force, where his family says he suffered mental health issues. And after two years, he was honorably discharged.
"There was an altercation between Maxwell and another man. That man was a convicted sex offender. As a result of that altercation between them, the other man passed away," said attorney Kevin O'Hara.
"He really had respect for law enforcement, and we asked him to go into the police station and settle this and figure out how it’s going to end up," Aguirre's mom, Yvette, explained. "He was very much an American boy. We raised him very much to appreciate the country he lives in."
Aguirre was charged with first-degree murder. But before the veteran’s case went to trial, he died inside his jail cell at the Twin Towers Corrections Facility two years ago.
With new evidence unsealed, Aguirre’s family attorneys say it’s the LA County Sheriff’s Department’s fault. They point to jailhouse surveillance which they say shows deputies on duty neglecting his wellness checks that they were supposed to conduct every 30 minutes.
"What the videos ultimately end up showing is they’re huddled together, eating Chick-fil-A, watching YouTube videos when the timer goes off to conduct their Title 15 checks. They scan their Title 15 check, alleging that they’re conducting it, and then they sit back down," stated attorney Denisse Gastélum.
While the deputies turned their backs on him, Aguirre used his bedsheets to hang himself.
"They just literally turned their backs on him while he ultimately hung himself," added O'Hara.
Attorneys say this is not the first time LASD has falsified wellness checks, and they have evidence of them doing the same thing just a week prior to Aguirre's death.
The other side:
LASD released a statement saying, "The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department goes to great lengths to maintain this immensely complex system and our primary goal is to ensure the safety of justice involved individuals within its custody, including those who are going through mental health crisis."
The Source: Information for this story came from interviews with the Aguirre family and their attorneys. A statement was also provided by the LA County Sheriff's Department.