Last week, Deputy Joseph Benza III pleaded guilty in federal court to one felony count of deprivation of rights under the color of law, stemming from the February 2023 arrest and beating of Emmett Brock, a transgender man. This plea carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The incident sparked an ongoing FBI investigation and led to the dismissal of at least eight Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies, including several sergeants, for their roles in the arrest and subsequent cover-up, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Sheriff Robert G. Luna stated that Benza’s actions “undermine[s] the integrity of our Department, the trust of our community, and the safety of those we are sworn to protect.” Benza’s attorney, Tom Yu, while acknowledging Benza’s initial use of force might have been justified, stated he will seek probation, arguing that “the before and after use-of-force conduct impacted the calculus of the evaluation of the takedown and the eventual arrest of [Brock]”. Benza is scheduled to return to court on January 17th.
The incident began when Brock, while leaving his job as a high school teacher, gave Benza the middle finger as Benza was involved in what appeared to be a heated exchange with a woman. Benza pursued Brock for nearly two miles, allegedly abandoning a domestic violence call to do so, before stopping him in a 7-Eleven parking lot. Video evidence shows Benza tackling Brock to the ground without explanation, subsequently punching him for approximately three minutes while Brock repeatedly protested and claimed he was not resisting. Brock sustained bruises, scrapes, and a concussion.
Initially, Benza’s report contradicted the video evidence, omitting the middle finger gesture and falsely claiming Brock had bitten him and tried to rip his skin. He also initially denied discussing the report with other officers. However, his plea agreement revealed that a sergeant wrote “substantive portions” of the report for him, and that he and his colleagues exchanged text messages agreeing to delete information from their personal phones.
Brock was initially charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor, and alleged that during booking, officers inappropriately questioned his gender identity. All charges against Brock have since been dropped, and he has been formally declared innocent. He is pursuing a federal case against Los Angeles County, Benza, and other deputies, alleging false imprisonment, civil rights violations, and assault and battery. Brock, who was briefly dismissed from his teaching job following the incident, is now working at a homeless shelter and pursuing a master’s degree. While relieved by the outcome of Benza’s plea, he continues to grapple with the lasting anxiety and fear stemming from the attack.