Newport man gets $50,000 in excessive force settlement

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- A former professional surfer, who was allegedly beaten

by an Orange County Sheriff’s deputy last year outside a Lake Forest

nightclub, won a $50,000 settlement against the county agency this week.

Jorge Minero Lopez, 26, of Newport Beach, claims his arm was broken when

he was struck about a dozen times by a baton-wielding deputy.

Lopez said the attack wasn’t provoked and the deputy’s actions were above

the call of duty.

‘I didn’t do anything to deserve this,’ he professed. ‘I didn’t think

this could happen to me, but it did. This was a real eye-opener.’

The deputy, Aaron Richard, a 13-year veteran of the force, was subject to

an internal investigation. The casework was passed along to the Orange

County District Attorney’s office, but they declined to prosecute the

deputy.

‘After reviewing the case and interviewing witnesses there was

insufficient evidence to present to jury and reasonably expect the jury

would come back with a guilty verdict beyond a reasonable doubt,’ said

Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh, who reviewed the case.

‘There was evidence that indicates [Lopez] was yelling and refused to get

on the ground. The deputy was trying to do his job.’

Richard was accused of not only hitting the plaintiff, but also two

employees at the nightclub on Feb. 18, 1998. Lopez said he was escorted

from the Country Rock Cafe in Lake Forest by a bouncer who noticed the

customer was standing in an area reserved for staff. Lopez was reportedly

asked several times to leave the area, but returned each time.

Lopez was brought outside the nightclub and that’s when Richard

reportedly got involved.

Richard and another deputy were talking in the parking lot after they had

responded to a disturbance in the area moments before.

Lopez’s attorney, Jerry Steering, alleges the deputy forced the bouncer

to the ground then struck a security guard who rushed to the scene. He

claims his client was standing with his hands up in a surrender position

when Lopez was thrown to the asphalt. The deputy then hit Lopez numerous

times, Steering claims, leaving his client with a broken arm.

‘This was flat-out brutal,’ Steering said. ‘There was no reason for this

... my client didn’t do anything wrong. This cop just started waling on

people.’

Lopez was arrested for resisting arrest, but charges were never filed

against him.

According to a sheriff’s department official, Richard is still employed

with the agency.

Lopez was jarred by the incident, which he said put his life on hold for

the last year. He was at the tail end of his professional surfing career

-- lasting about two years -- that ended shortly before the incident.

Lopez, who plans to return to OCC next year, said the event doesn’t

change his opinions about law enforcement officers.

‘I was disappointed that the other deputies who were there didn’t

corroborate my story,’ he said. ‘They stuck with their fellow officer.

This was one bad apple in a uniform. I won’t hold it against an entire

police force.’