SANTA ANA : Police Fabricated Attack, Man Says

A Tustin man took the stand this week as his trial for assault and battery on a police officer continued.

Richard Daniel Page is accused of attacking Tustin Officer Jeffrey Blair and with resisting arrest in connection with a struggle with Blair and another officer in 1989. The charges carry a maximum penalty of three years in jail and $5,000.

The incident took place Dec. 3 at about 5:30 p.m. after Blair and Officer Russell Whitehead responded to a call from Trudy Page, Richard’s wife, about domestic violence.

After following him into the office of the Public Storage facility on Franklin Avenue, where the Pages are resident managers, the officers got into a scuffle with Page. They sprayed him with Mace and struck him with batons, causing multiple injuries, according to police reports and the Pages.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeffrey A. Levy said Blair and Whitehead used force to gain control of the situation. But defense attorney Jerry Steering said the charges against Page were manufactured to cover up wrongdoing on the part of the officers and denied officers’ claims that Page was drunk and belligerent.

Page, who suffered a concussion and multiple bruises, said he has been unable to work for the last year and that he and his wife have sued the city and the officers involved for more than $4 million, alleging excessive force and gross negligence. The city has offered $70,000 to settle one of the suits, but it has not been accepted, officials said.