A Baldwin Park police officer was charged with two counts of assault for allegedly beating a teenager who had surrendered after a short foot chase in 2019.
Ryan Felton, 35, pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault under the color of authority in connection with the September 2019 incident, in which he is accused of kicking the teen while he lay on the ground and then pummeling him in the back of a police cruiser, according to a news release issued Wednesday by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
“Those who wear the uniform must follow the law,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear who was representing Felton. He is due back in court in December.
Prosecutors said Felton and another officer ran after the teen when he fled from a vehicle that had ignored orders to stop. After a brief chase, the teen lay down on the ground and surrendered, according to the district attorney’s office. Felton is accused of “kicking the teen while he was on the ground and assaulting him while he sat in the back of Felton’s squad car.”
An excessive force lawsuit was filed by the teen and his family in federal court last month against the city’s police department, Felton and Sgt. Joseph Meister, another Baldwin police officer. The teen, identified in court papers as Anthony Romero, was 16 at the time of the incident. He and his family are represented by lawyer Wesley Ouchi.
According to the suit, Felton chased Romero through an alley and ordered him to surrender. When Romero complied and lay on the ground, Felton ran up and kicked him in the ribs and then again in the face, according to the lawsuit.
Once Romero was handcuffed, the lawsuit alleges, Felton repeatedly punched him in the backseat of his police cruiser and then banged the teenager’s face off the metal grate separating the front and rear seats. Part of the incident was captured on video, according to the lawsuit, which also claims other officers witnessed Felton’s conduct but failed to intervene.
The suit also alleges Meister struck Romero in the head several times once the teen was in custody at Baldwin Park police headquarters and threatened to rough him up further “if I see you fall asleep again.” All charges against the teen were dismissed.
A spokesman for the district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on possible charges against Meister. Calls to the Baldwin Park Police Department seeking comment were not immediately returned.
