Two Indio police officers have been arrested in connection with a use of force incident after a concerned citizen provided authorities with a videotaped copy of the arrest, officials said.
Indio police officers Charles Holloway and Gerardo Martinez face charges in connection with the Sept. 11 arrest. Both officers were put on paid administrative leave, according to a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, which is handling the case.
A felony arrest warrant was issued Monday for Officer Charles Holloway alleging assault under the color of authority. A misdemeanor warrant was issued for Officer Gerardo Martinez alleging being an accessory after the fact.
Holloway's attorney declined to comment. Martinez's attorney did not respond to an email.
Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The case involves the September arrest of 24-year-old Ruben Joshua Martinez, who alleges he was beaten and stomped repeatedly while on the ground with his hands behind his back.
A criminal investigation was launched after a restaurant owner came forward with surveillance video of the incident.
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Ruben Martinez said in an exclusive jailhouse interview with The Desert Sun that he was "beat, punched, kicked and stomped repeatedly" while walking his pit bull.
He said the officers who pulled up were looking for him because he had a parole violation from a 2009 burglary conviction.
He said he had run into Officer Martinez before and that the officer had been rough with him.
"I was scared – paranoid – he was going to beat me up again," Ruben Martinez said, according to The Sun.
