Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver

California's premier full-service law firm with an emphasis on the representation of peace officers in disciplinary, criminal, labor, workers' compensation, personal injury and other civil matters.

  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Maritime Law
    • Estate Planning
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer

New Records Show Deputy Linked to SF Beating Shot Two Suspects in Fatal Police Shootings

April 16, 2019 by Hien Nguyen

From: SF Chronicle
By: Matthias Gafni, 4/05/2019

The East Bay sheriff’s deputy who has been charged with severely beating a suspect in a San Francisco alley in 2015 had previously been involved in a pair of fatal shootings, one less than two months before the baton attack, according to records released Saturday.

Police records released Saturday under SB1421, a new transparency law, reveal for the first time that former Alameda County Sheriff’s Deputy Luis Santamaria, who was fired from the department, was involved in two fatal shootings before the Nov. 12, 2015, beating of Stanislav Petrov captured on video. Santamaria and Paul Wieber, who was also fired, were charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon for the steel baton beating and are facing a criminal trial.

The Sheriff’s Office released an index of officer-involved shootings, use-of-force incidents and sustained findings of dishonesty by deputies dating back as far as 2004, and plan to release thousands of pages of records in the next few days.

The catalog of incidents showed that since 2004 there have been 32 shootings involving 37 Alameda County deputies, with 16 ending with the death of a suspect. There were 19 internal affairs cases involving use of force resulting in great bodily injury dating back to November 2015, ranging from chipped teeth to broken bones and dog bites, along with one death.

A handful of officers were involved in multiple shootings and use-of-force incidents. Deputy Jeffery Edwards was named in six reports, three shootings and three use-of-force cases, according to the records.

The records also named three internal affairs cases where investigators sustained a finding of dishonesty by three officers in 2014 and 2015. The agency noted that two other incidents were withheld because of “pending associated criminal cases.”

The records, released in response to multiple public records requests by The Chronicle and other media agencies, are the latest disclosed under the new SB1421 police officer transparency law, which requires departments to release previously confidential internal discipline information involving officers.

“Some of those cases are thousands of pages,” said Sgt. Ray Kelly, an Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesman. “But we will produce them.”

The catalog indicates that the Sheriff’s Office has averaged about one fatal shooting a year since 2004 and more than two shootings a year.

The records show that on Sept. 21, 2015 — weeks before the baton beating for which Alameda County eventually paid $5.5 million to Petrov — Santamaria and four other officers shot and killed Dante Osborne after deputies said they chased him after a drive-by shooting, attempted carjacking and Osborne repeatedly firing on officers.

“He was one of several deputies who returned fire on a suspect after they were ambushed on a dead-end street,” Kelly said. “Several bullets narrowly missed the officers. They returned fire and stopped the threat. They are lucky to be alive.”

On March 30, 2013, Santamaria and another deputy shot Broderick Huggins, according to the records. Kelly said Santamaria shot Huggins in the elbow, while the other officer fired the fatal shots.

Huggins’ brother had been arrested for possessing ecstasy in a car stop that day in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, and Huggins refused to get out of the car, police said. He was shot after he dragged an officer who was trying to undo his seatbelt, police said. His family sued and said the car was switched into drive by the officer as he tried to unbuckle Huggins.

Filed Under: RLS In The News Tagged With: michael-l-rains

Consultation Form

Offices across California to serve you.
Contact us now to schedule a consultation.
Contact form not loading? Click here!
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC publishes this website as a service to our clients and other friends for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice or opinions, and the transmission of information through this website is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between sender and receiver. Internet subscribers and online readers should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.

© 2023 Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver, PC. All Rights Reserved. | Disclaimer

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPTREJECT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Contact Us

  • News Alerts

Official logo for Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver
Rains Lucia Stern St. Phalle & Silver Logo
  • About Us
  • Practice Areas
    ▼
    • Labor Representation
    • Civil Litigation
    • Personal Injury
      ▼
      • Example of Case Results
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Maritime Law
    • Estate Planning
    • DOE Security Clearance Hearings
    • Peace Officers
    • Firefighters
    • EMS Agency Investigations
    • Criminal Defense
    • CalPERS Appeals
  • Our Team
  • Classes
  • Media
    ▼
    • Bulletins
    • RLS in the News
  • Resources
    ▼
    • Links
    • Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Clients
  • Career Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
Hotline phone numbers. Northern California: 925-609-1699. Southern California: 310-393-1486.