LA VOZ DE AZTLAN
Los Angeles, Alta California
May 15, 2009

El Monte CA police scandal gets uglier

The El Monte, California policeman who was caught on video brutally kicking a fleeing motorist in the head after the suspect had surrendered has been identified. La Voz de Aztlan has learned that the officer's name is George Fierro and that he has filed a Los Angeles County Superior Court suit against his own police department. Apparently, the El Monte Police Department's all White command, according to the suit, is not only abusive to Latino citizens but it is also corrupt and racist against its own officers of Latino descent.

The suit by Officer Fierro filed in the Pomona, California Superior Court mentions Captain George Hopkins who was the officer that led a raid on a wrong house at night. In that raid, Hopkins shot a 64 year old grandfather of Mexican descent in the back and wrongly confiscated $10,000 that was the family's entire life savings. The city of El Monte settled for $3 million dollars with the family of the victim Mario Paz.

The suit by Officer Fierro alleges that Captain George Hopkins retaliated and threaten him physically after he reported corruption by other police officers.

Please see our updated report with a second video of yet another case of El Monte police abuse at http://www.aztlan.net/el_monte_police_abuse.htm