LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County sheriff's commander who was critical of efforts to cover up an incident in which a deputy kneeled on a handcuffed inmate's head has filed legal papers accusing Sheriff Alex Villanueva of obstructing justice and retaliating against those who blew the whistle.
In the legal claim against L.A. County, which is a required precursor to a lawsuit, Allen Castellano offered new details about Villanueva's alleged role in keeping the March 2021 incident under wraps that contradict the sheriff's claim that he learned of the incident several months after it happened.
According to the claim, Villanueva, along with a lieutenant working as his aide, Undersheriff Tim Murakami and Assistant Sheriff Robin Limon, viewed a video of the incident just five days after it occurred.
