A pair of California deputies who were caught on camera viciously beating a suspect with their batons after chasing him for several miles were charged with multiple felonies Tuesday.
And more Alameda County sheriff’s deputies may be charged in the coming weeks for taking part in the ensuing coverup, including one deputy accused of stealing money and gold from the victim and giving it to a homeless couple in exchange for their silence as well as supervisors allowing the two deputies to revise their reports once the video had surfaced.
It all took place on November 12, 2015 when Alameda County sheriff deputies Luis Santamaria and Paul Wieber – not realizing they were on camera – struck the suspect 30 times in a 40-second span in a San Francisco alleyway.
“Get on the fucking ground,” one of them can be heard saying while beating the suspect who was already on the ground.
“I’m sorry. Oh my God, help me,” pleaded Stanislav Petrov, who was accused of stealing a car, then striking two sheriff patrol cars, leaving a deputy with minor injuries.
He then led deputies on a pursuit through the streets of Oakland before crossing the bay into San Francisco.
The owner of the camera, who is remaining anonymous, submitted the video to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, which released it four days after the incident.
That was when Santamaria and Wieber were allowed to revise their reports, claiming Petrov was resisting and that they were in fear for their safety as well as the safety of the community.
The initial report was apparently destroyed.
The two deputies are charged with assault under color of authority, battery with serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon.
And other deputies will likely be charged with making false statements, theft, bribery and witness tampering, according to the San Francisco Examiner.
The deputy who tried to bribe the homeless couple is Shawn Osborne, who is on paid administrative leave.
Meanwhile, no charges have been filed against Petrov, who was left with broken bones in both hands, deep cuts in his head and mild traumatic brain injury.
He is, however, facing unrelated drug and gun charges after an FBI raid in his apartment in March.
Prosecutors say that none of the deputies involved in the chase, including the multitude that arrived after the initial beating, had activated their body cameras during the pursuit except one, who turned it on by accident.
That footage, which has not been released, is now part of the investigation.
Both Santamaria and Wieber turned themselves in today and were released on bail.
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