At least eight Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies have been relieved of duty amid a federal investigation into the beating of a transgender man last year in a 7-Eleven parking lot, the Los Angeles Times reports. Last week, nearly two years after the incident, Deputy Joseph Benza III agreed to plead guilty to one federal felony civil rights violation. In his plea agreement, Benza admitted that he lied to the FBI about the incident and alleged that numerous other deputies and sergeants helped obstruct the investigation and cover up the misconduct. After confirming that Benza had been taken off the job, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said “multiple” other deputies have also been relieved of duty. Sheriff’s officials would not specify how many employees have been sidelined, but sources said it was eight people, including several sergeants. Benza, 36, made an initial appearance in federal court and was released on $50,000 bond.
His attorney, Tom Yu, will ask the court to put Benza on probation. The incident happened Feb. 10, 2023. That morning, 23-year-old Emmett Brock was leaving his high school teaching job when he spotted a deputy who he said appeared to be in a heated conversation with a woman on the side of the road. Prosecutors said Benza abandoned his response to a domestic disturbance call when he saw Brock flip him off. Benza called another deputy, and said he planned to stop someone who’d flipped him off and that he intended to use force. After driving nearly two miles with the deputy following him, Brock stopped at a 7-Eleven and stepped out of his car. Video of the incident shows that the deputy approached him and said, “I just stopped you,” offering no explanation as to why. “No, you didn’t,” Brock replied, according to an audio recording from the deputy’s body camera. Prosecutors said Benza then “violently body slammed” Brock into the ground. For the next three minutes, Brock struggled and screamed as the deputy held him down and punched him in the head. “You’re going to f—ing kill me,” he shouted. “Help! Help! Help! I’m not resisting!” Afterward, Brock was taken to the Norwalk sheriff’s station, where he alleged staff asked to see his genitals before deciding which holding cell to send him to. In his report, the deputy said it appeared Brock was “about to throw a punch,” so Benza struck first. During the struggle, the deputyt claimed, Brock “attempted to rip my skin from my hand” by repeatedly biting him. Medical reports from the scene and from the hospital did not mention signs of bite marks.