Stanislav Petrov, the man who allegedly led Alameda County sheriff's deputies on a high-speed, 30-mile chase last November from San Leandro to San Francisco's Mission District and was then seen on video being severely beaten by two of those deputies, has now filed a civil rights lawsuit against the county and eight deputies one of whom has already been fired by the sheriff's department. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco and as reported by ABC 7 and others, claims that Petrov suffered "very severe and permanent injuries" at the hands of two deputies, and that the six others failed to do anything to stop or report the beating.
In the incident, caught on camera by a neighbor on November 12, two deputies since identified as Paul Wieber and Luis Santamaria can be seen delivering multiple punches and baton blows to a prone Petrov as he screams for help. Wieber and Santamaria have both been placed on administrative leave as they face criminal charges in San Francisco court. Both deputies pleaded not guilty in May to three felony counts of assault under color of authority, battery with serious bodily injury, and assault with a deadly weapon."
A third deputy, Shawn Osborne who was seen in the video swinging a gold chain that belonged to Petrov and who was accused of using the chain to bribe a couple of witnesses, a homeless couple nearby, for their silence was fired last Friday by Alameda County for misconduct, per ABC 7.
The case has drawn national attention as just one of many incidents in which law enforcement has been seen on video using excessive force to subdue an unarmed person.
Fed. civil rights lawsuit in #Petrov beating just filed names addtl. @ACSOSheriffs dep.s https://t.co/R1jwqzipCi pic.twitter.com/Xsl4Vr2Pb0
— Melanie Woodrow (@MelanieWoodrow) August 1, 2016
According to the Chronicle, attorneys for Osborne continue to insist he did nothing wrong.
In the new complaint, a fourth deputy, Darrin Shelton, is accused of "needlessly plac[ing] his foot on Plaintiff’s head and/or neck, cruelly pushing plaintiff’s head into the pavement for minutes." Per the Chron, Shelton has said in an incident report that he was trying to prevent Petrov from spitting blood at the other officers.
Sgt. Ray Kelly, spokesperson for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, issued the following statement Monday: "The internal affairs and criminal investigations into the Petrov case remain open and active. We have not officially received the current civil complaint, but are aware that it is another part of the case that needs to be addressed. We will continue to do a thorough, fair and cooperative investigation with all involved parties."
Petrov's attorney, Michael Haddad, said in a statement, "We intend to make sure that justice includes reforming the corrupt culture in the Sheriff's Office that allowed these crimes to happen in front of so many deputies."
Attorney Michael Rains, who is representing Santamaria, issued a statement Monday via ABC 7 which reads, in part:
"Had Petrov put his hands outside of his car when he crashed it in San Francisco, and not taken off running, he would have been handcuffed, and not been struck by batons. Had he followed repeated requests by the Deputies to 'show us your hands' and 'get on the ground' instead of trying to use his hands and feet to assault Deputies, he would not have been struck. And... at no time did Petrov raise his hands to surrender as he was being chased by Deputy Wieber, just before the Deputy tackled him. Even though Deputy SantaMaria, my client, did not know Petrov's criminal history when the incident occurred, he knew, as a veteran law enforcement officer working patrol in high crime areas, that the man who had assaulted other deputies in San Leandro while driving a stolen car was very likely armed, and would not think twice about assaulting and killing sSantaMaria or his partner if he had any opportunity at all."
The case has an interesting sidebar, though one that is legally unrelated to Petrov's beating. Petrov remains in federal custody on weapons and drug charges stemming from an arrest on April 1 at a home in Visitacion Valley. The arrest occurred at a home Petrov was known to frequent with girlfriend Milagro Moraga outside of which a man was fatally shot less than twelve hours before, and it remains to be seen what connection either Petrov of Moraga may have had to the murder.
Petrov's mother insists that Petrov's behavior this past winter and spring were a direct result of his beating and trauma, after which he became "uncontrollable." Per the Guardian, the beating left her son "destroyed" both physically and mentally.
Petrov, meanwhile, has not been charged with any crime in connection with the alleged car theft in San Leandro and assault of officers there, which preceded the chase and beating. Reuters reports, via the complaint, that the car in question was an overdue rental.
Previously: Video: Sheriff's Deputies Brutally Beat Suspect In Mission District
Two Sheriff's Deputies Charged With Felonies Following Mission District Beating
Stanislav Petrov, Victim In Videotaped Beating By Deputies, Arrested In Connection With Visitacion Valley Shooting