Officers Cleared in Earlier Case

Police officers have been cleared of wrongdoing in connection with another drinking party that they broke up earlier this year, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

At least six citizen’s complaints had been filed against officers who responded to the April 21 gathering on Monterey Road, which resulted in four arrests. Party-goers alleged that police beat Julian Mercado, 19, with a nightstick and verbally abused him before spraying him in the face with tear gas.

Police contended that Mercado became belligerent and fought with them when they tried to arrest him, forcing them to spray him with Mace.

The district attorney’s investigators, called by Police Chief William Reese to conduct an independent investigation of the incident, said the contradictory accounts of the scuffle left them “unconvinced” that any of the officers used excessive force.

“Based on your reports and our investigation, we have found no credible evidence that any of your involved officers acted unlawfully,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Herbert R. Lapin in the report to Reese. “Therefore, we will take no further action in this matter.”

Mercado was originally charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer. But those charges were dropped when he agreed to plead no contest to a misdemeanor count of disturbing the peace. On Oct. 4, a Pasadena Municipal Court judge placed him on six months’ probation.