TIJUANAOne of the four municipal police officers who appeared in a video that showed them apparently beating a detained man quit the department already following a complaint of aggressive behavior.
City Attorney Yolanda Enríquez announced that her agency had begun investigating the four offices who were videotaped on Jan. 16, 2011, apparently using excessive force against a man sitting in the back of a police pickup.
On Wednesday she identified one of them as Jesús Galván Alvarado, who resigned from the force on Aug. 26, 2011.
Enríquez said that Galván was the driver of patrol car number 5007, which does not appear in the video though is known to have been at the site.
Galván resigned from the force in August after a citizen officially complained about his aggressive behavior, the city attorney said.
She said that regardless of the fact that Galván no longer works for the department, his role in the beating will be investigated and he will be held accountable for his actions.
The other three officers also are under investigation and face administrative disciplinary action. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, they may also face criminal prosecution.
The video, turned over to authorities a year after it was taped, shows one officer repeatedly beating a man, who is sitting handcuffed in the back of a patrol pickup. Two officers are standing next to him. And at one point, a fourth officer is seen walking toward the other officers. None of the faces can be clearly seen in the video, which was made using a cell phone and turned over anonymously to authorities.
This is the third high-profile case of alleged police abuse in less than a year in the municipal police department.
The department is undergoing a systematic review of all of its officers to drive corruption from the force.
Nearly 800 officers have been fired since 2007 for a variety of offenses and crimes.
omar.millan@sandiegored.com
