In February of this year a 16 year old teenage girl, whose name has not been released to the public, was arrested for riding a mini bike. The arrest was caught on camera and Officer Ivan Delgadillo is seen placing his hand on the girls throat. Delgadillo can be heard asking the girl if she tried to bite him, video footage shows the teen girl crying and pleading with the officers that she did not attempt to bite him. The escalated arrest resulted from accusations of refusing identification and being uncooperative with officers. However, transcripts show her telling the officers “I’m communicating with you,” and asking for her brother. Delgadillo is shown throwing the girl to the ground and placing his hand on her neck while she pleads to bystanders. Officer Zamora did not intervene in this arrest.
On May 4th, the family filed a federal civil rights Lawsuit seeking $10 million in damages and release of the Body cam footage to the public. According to the lawsuit Delgadillo repeatedly cursed at the girl and questioned her sexuality which, “created a negative tone for what could have been a deadly encounter.” The lawsuit filed alleges excessive force, conspiracy, battery, and negligence. Delgadillo can be seen throwing the girl into the vehicle after the initial arrest.
Although Police Chief Mark Kling has not released body cam footage to the public he has issued an investigation into the issue and placed Officer Delgadillo on Paid administrative leave. There has been no statement on the status of Officer Zamora who is accused of conspiracy for as stated in the lawsuit, “attempting to cover up the brutal battery.”
There has been no further public information regarding the court proceedings.
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