LAPD internal affairs investigators presented their findings to prosecutors Tuesday in the video-recorded beating of a man during a confrontation with an officer in Boyle Heights.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirmed prosecutors from the Justice System Integrity Division will now review the case in order to decide if criminal charges should be filed.
The officer involved, identified via court and police records as Frank A. Hernandez, has been assigned to home while the incident was investigated.
The man who was punched, Richard Castillo, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, alleging he was the victim of excessive force.
The confrontation happened April 27 on Houston Street where two officers were sent to remove Castillo from a property where he'd allegedly been illegally squatting.
Castillo refused medical treatment and was released without being booked or cited on a criminal charge, police said.
Chief Michel Moore said the incident was deeply disturbing and said both criminal and administrative investigations would be completed in weeks.
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Hernandez's attorney has told NBCLA that he believed the officer would be cleared of any wrongdoing.
