The Alameda County Sheriff's deputies who were caught on video brutally beating a 29-year-old man in the Mission last month have been named.
The Contra Costa Times reports that on Thursday Luis Santamaria and Paul Weiber were identified as two of the deputies caught on surveillance footage that captured them lengthily and viciously beating San Leandro resident Stanislav Petrov in an alley on November 10. According to the S.F. Chronicle, Santamaria and Weiber are currently being investigated by San Francisco police and prosecutors for their actions, which left Petrov with shattered joints and wrists, cuts and swelling to his head, and possibly permanent damage, for which he underwent surgery.
Agency spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said that department officials are waiting to see if local authorities will file criminal charges. Santamaria and Weiber were placed on paid administrative leave on Nov. 16 following the surfacing of the video.
On Nov. 12, Petrov allegedly stole a 2015 Mercedes and collided with two patrol cars, and was chased by Alameda County Sheriff's deputies from San Leandro over the Bay Bridge, occasionally reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. When he arrived in the Mission, Petrov then crashed into a parked car and fled on foot, and was ultimately pulled to the ground and beaten near the corner of Stevenson Street and Clinton Park, near Duboce, which was caught on video.
Grasswire, who initially filed the public records request, also writes that this is the first piece of information related to the investigation to be released, and that might be it—for awhile, at least. According to Grasswire:
Numerous other pieces of information—including use-of-force reports filed by both Santamaria and Weiber in connection with the incident along with body camera footage that may show alternate angles of the pursuit and arrest—have not been released. In response to an inquiry by Grasswire for the material, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department cited a provision of the California Public Records Act that allows law enforcement agencies to withhold certain investigation records from public disclosure.
While Grasswire acknowledges that withholding records isn't an unusual thing for law enforcement to do in a case like this, it also notes that the slew of recent high-profile police shootings and brutal arrests that have been caught on video have led to pledges from police departments to be devoted to transparency. So why not release more info in this case?