LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva and other department officials tried to prevent a key witness from testifying before an oversight panel about gang-like groups of deputies, according to a new lawsuit.
The directive that Sgt. Jefferson Chow should not appear before the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission despite being subpoenaed to do so was delivered to Chow in a phone call by a lieutenant who works for Undersheriff Tim Murakami, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday by Chow's wife, who is also a sergeant in the department.
During the Aug. 19 call, the lieutenant told Chow that Villanueva had issued an order that he not testify, the lawsuit says. Villanueva instructed the lieutenant to deliver it as he "desperately tried to block Mr. Chow's testimony," the lawsuit claims. The lieutenant, Chris Kusayanagi, also told Chow that unions representing department members supported the idea of him not showing up, according to the lawsuit.
