Nearly two years after he was caught on camera beating a transgender man in a 7-Eleven parking lot, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has agreed to plead guilty in federal court to a civil rights violation for using excessive force, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Joseph Benza III, 36, was charged late Tuesday with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law for assaulting a then-23-year-old teacher, previously identified as Emmett Brock.
In a plea agreement filed the same day, Benza said he would admit to a single felony charge, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
“When an officer violates someone’s civil rights, it corrodes trust in law enforcement and undermines the effectiveness of other officers who sacrifice to protect the public,” U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada said in a news release. “This senseless assault and subsequent attempted cover-up are an affront to our system of justice.”