Illegal Immigrant Beaten by Deputies Files Lawsuits

While his attorneys filed lawsuits in state and federal courts seeking damages for his injuries, an illegal immigrant involved in a violent encounter April 1 with Riverside County sheriff’s deputies made a brief public appearance.

Lawyers for Enrique Funes Flores, whose beating by Riverside deputies after a high-speed chase that ended in South El Monte was captured on videotape and generated international attention, said his treatment at the hands of the officers amounted to torture.

“The penalty for entering the United States without inspection is deportation,” said Peter Schey, lead attorney for Funes. “It is not a savage beating on the side of the highway.”

The suits, set in motion after Riverside County rejected a complaint seeking $10 million, contends that Tracy L. Watson and Kurt Franklin used excessive force in detaining Funes. Funes did not attempt to flee or resist the officers after the truck screeched to a halt at the end of the chase, Schey said.

Alicia Sotero Vasquez, a family friend Funes was helping out of the vehicle, also was clubbed by the deputies. Sotero’s attorneys said Thursday they are considering filing a similar suit in the next month.

Riverside County rejected the claim on May. 2 based on lack of merit, a spokesman said.