Man Won’t Face Charges in Police Assault Case : Clash: An Oxnard resident will be cited only with resisting arrest. He and his brothers say they were beaten without provocation.

The district attorney’s office has decided not to file a charge of assaulting a police officer against an Oxnard man who claims he and several other guests at a private party were beaten by Oxnard police officers.

The police arrested Anthony Flores, 22, on suspicion of assaulting an officer during a June 15 clash involving 18 officers and about 12 party guests at a home in the 1300 block of South E Street.

Arrested for resisting arrest and interfering with an arrest were his brothers, Luis Flores, 24, and Alex Flores, 19, and another party-goer, Aurelio Raudales Guerrero, 19.

The incident began when four officers answered complaints of a loud party at the home of Luis Flores Sr.

A police report said Anthony Flores started the fight by shoving a policeman. Anthony Flores and his brothers, all of whom suffered gashes and scrapes on their heads and bodies, said the police beat them without provocation.

Police Chief Robert Owens last week ordered an investigation into the incident.

A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the agency has also begun an investigation.

Officials at the district attorney’s office said Wednesday that Anthony Flores will not be charged with assault on an officer when he is arraigned Friday. Instead, Flores will face five misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest.

Alex Flores will face three charges of resisting arrest. Guerrero, who is scheduled for trial on July 11, has pleaded innocent to one count of resisting arrest.

The district attorney has filed no charges against Luis Flores.

Each charge of resisting arrest carries a maximum penalty of one year in county jail and a $1,000 fine.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald Grant called the confrontation a “major brawl” but declined to say why the assault charges were dropped against Anthony Flores.

“Based upon my review of all the reports, the charges were the most appropriate charges to file,” he said of the resistance charge, declining to elaborate.

Gary Auer, supervisor for the Ventura office of the FBI, said the agency will investigate because “the information in the newspapers indicated that there may be federal civil rights violations.”

Police Chief Owens noted that the existence of an FBI investigation does not imply a finding of wrongdoing by his men. He declined to comment on the district attorney’s decision not to file assault charges against Anthony Flores.