Eight LA cops dismissed after trans man’s beating and arrest

As many as eight deputies with the Los Angeles sheriff’s department have been relieved of their duties for covering up the actions of their colleague, who beat trans man in a 7-Eleven parking lot for flipping him off.

The dismissals relate to a February 2023 incident in which then-23-year-old trans high school teacher Emmett Brock drove past deputy Joseph Benza III – who Brock alleges was berating a woman during a traffic stop – and flipped off the officer, thinking he would not see it.

36-year-old Benza proceeded to tail Brock for nearly two miles, abandoning a domestic violence call in the process, until Brock pulled into 7-Eleven parking lot.

Surveillance footage shows Brock exiting his vehicle and subsequently being thrown to the ground by Benza, who held him down and punched him for around three minutes before cuffing and putting Brock into his cruiser.  

According to court documents, Benza was left with a “concussion, contusions and abrasions”.

Last week, as per reporting by the LA Times, Benza agreed to plead guilty to a civil rights violation for using excessive force and one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, which could land him 10 years in prison.

He also admitted he lied to the FBI about the incident and that numerous other Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officers helped cover-up his misconduct.

It is understood that when Benza began preparing an incident report he asked other deputies about whether he should include that he began pursuing Brock because he had been flipped off. They told him to leave it out of the report and Benza admitted he prepared a false incident report in which he stated Brock was stopped for having an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror.

Benza also claimed Brock bit his hand with enough force to leave puncture marks, something which was not cited in medical reports at the hospital.

Alongside the false report, Benza also discussed with other deputies about deleting incriminating text messages and making false statements to the investigating authorities.

After confirming Benza was removed from his role, the department said “multiple” other deputies were also removed from duties, with anonymous sources telling the publication the number of staff relieved was eight.

Los Angeles county sheriff Robert G Luna said in statement that Benza’s actions were “deeply troubling” and “violated the trust placed in them to uphold the law by abusing their authority”.

“These actions undermine the integrity of our Department, the trust of our community, and the safety of those we are sworn to protect.”

United States attorney Martin Estrada said of the case: “When an officer violates someone’s civil rights, it corrodes trust in law enforcement and undermines the effectiveness of other officers who sacrifice to protect the public.

“This senseless assault and subsequent attempted cover-up are an affront to our system of justice. My office is committed to upholding civil rights and prosecuting those who abuse their authority.”

“Mr. Benza abused his position of authority to assault an innocent citizen, then dissembled to cover his actions during the subsequent investigation,” said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.

“The FBI prioritizes the protection of civil rights and will pursue prosecution when warranted.”