U.S. Charges L.A. Officer in 1986 Beating : Civil rights: The suspect is accused in the misdemeanor counts of fracturing a youth’s skull and then illegally arresting him.

Federal criminal civil rights charges were filed Tuesday against a Los Angeles police officer who allegedly fractured a teen-ager’s skull during a 1986 arrest.

The two misdemeanor charges were filed by the Justice Department against Dana Patrick Hansen--one for excessive force and one for an unlawful arrest after Hansen and another officer confronted two car theft suspects in a Panorama City garage on Aug. 26, 1986.

Federal prosecutors charge that Hansen “did willfully strike, kick, beat and assault Jesus Martinez Vidales” after pulling him from under a parked car and then illegally arrested him for battery on a peace officer.

A police spokesman said Hansen was given a 15-day suspension after a Board of Rights hearing. The 35-year-old officer, who currently is working in the Metro Division, could not be reached for comment. His lawyer, Barry Levin, is out of the country, according to Levin’s secretary.

The federal charges were filed the same day the independent Christopher Commission issued a report criticizing the Police Department for excessive use of force and racial bias and for failing to adequately discipline officers who engaged in such conduct.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office decided not to file criminal charges against Hansen in September, 1987, saying there was “insufficient evidence to prove a crime occurred.”

The case was believed to have been closed until the March 3 beating of Altadena motorist Rodney G. King spurred renewed interest in allegations of police misconduct. The King beating led to creation of the Christopher Commission.

There were at least 11 witnesses to the incident involving Hansen. They said that Martinez Vidales, then 17, was struck with police batons and kicked in the groin. Some said he was clubbed with the batons even after he was handcuffed.

While waiting for local authorities to act, Martinez Vidales and his companion, Raul Burgara, filed a federal civil rights suit against the Police Department.

A federal grand jury investigated the case recently, but no formal indictment was issued. Instead, Hansen, a 13-year LAPD veteran, was charged in what is called a criminal information.

Frequently, when individuals are charged by information, it is a sign that they have decided to plead guilty. However, two federal prosecutors said no such inference should be drawn in this case.

Justice Department lawyer Michael J. Gennaco stressed that since Hansen faces only misdemeanor charges, there was no need to obtain a formal indictment.

If convicted, Hansen could face a maximum of one year in prison and a $200,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Robert Calo said that the timing of the charges being brought was purely coincidental.

“We filed the case when we thought it was appropriate,” he said.

Gennaco said Hansen’s partner, Sgt. Alan E. Sorkness, who has been with the LAPD for 17 years, will not be charged.

In an official statement announcing the charges, Atty. Gen. Dick Thornburgh said cases of this type “are a top priority” for the Justice Department. “We will not let up on our efforts to prosecute and bring to justice those who would degrade our Constitution by using law enforcement authority to violate an individual’s federally protected rights.”

Thornburgh said this is the 23rd official misconduct case filed by the department during this fiscal year, which began in October, 1990.

This is not the first controversial case for Hansen. In 1986, a Burbank Superior Court jury awarded a Van Nuys woman $112,000 after determining that she had been illegally beaten by Hansen and another officer after her arrest on suspicion of drunk driving.

Earlier, in 1983, Hansen shot and killed a 15-year-old boy who was allegedly pointing a sawed-off shotgun at a group of youths. The district attorney’s office concluded that “deadly force was clearly reasonable.”