L.A. County prosecutor arrested after domestic violence call, and is accused of trying to intimidate police
A high-ranking Los Angeles County prosecutor is on administrative leave after he was arrested last month on suspicion of hitting his wife during an argument at their Pomona home.
Head Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Yglecias refused to cooperate with Pomona police and “puffed out” his chest in an attempt to intimidate one of the two officers who responded to a domestic violence call at the home, according to a report by one of the officers.
No charges have been filed. The district attorney’s office declared a conflict, leaving the decision on whether to prosecute Yglecias up to the California attorney general’s office.
A spokeswoman for the state agency said the “matter is still under review.”
Lisa Diaz, Yglecias’ wife, told The Times that Yglecias slapped her on the hand during an argument. She described the incident as a “misunderstanding,” and said she called police out of frustration when he wouldn’t apologize.
“It wasn’t domestic violence,” she said, adding that the couple had no history of abuse.
Yglecias, 59, who couldn’t be reached for comment, is a veteran prosecutor who once worked as the top supervisor at the Pomona Courthouse. He is currently working in downtown Los Angeles as the lead in the Central Trials division
A district attorney’s spokesman said Yglecias was placed on leave after the arrest.
The misdemeanor battery arrest took place on the evening of June 23, when police responded to a family disturbance call at a home in northwest Pomona, according to the police report.
When officers arrived, Diaz answered the door and called for her husband. When he didn’t come to the door, police said, Diaz led officers to the master bedroom, where Yglecias was folding clothes. An officer asked for his statement and the prosecutor responded with a profanity, police said.
According to the report, the couple — who married a year ago — got into a verbal argument, which Diaz said escalated when she reached to turn off the bedroom light. Yglecias hit her forearm with his hand — a deliberate strike, she told police, not an attempt to block her from the light switch. Diaz said she then used her right hand to hit Yglecias, the report said.
Later that evening, another officer asked Yglecias for his statement. He refused. As that officer walked back toward the living room — where Diaz was waiting — Yglecias informed the officer that police were “welcome to leave now,” the report said.
The officer explained that police were investigating a domestic violence incident and didn’t plan to leave, the report said.
“By this time,” the officer wrote, “the suspect had positioned himself about two feet from me and had his chest puffed out in an attempt to dominate the conversation and intimidate me.”
The officer, who said there was a strong smell of alcohol on Yglecias’ breath, recalled telling the prosecutor that a police supervisor was headed to the house. Yglecias then opened the front door and said, “In the meantime, will you please step out.”
After an officer handcuffed Yglecias, Diaz asked whether that was necessary and began to frame the incident as a misunderstanding, the report said, noting that her husband had told her it was an accident. The officer told Yglecias he was under arrest and asked whether he had any medical problems, the report said. Yglecias didn’t respond.
Neither Diaz nor Yglecias had any visible injuries, the report said, and Diaz said she didn’t want a protective order or charges against him.
Yglecias was released the next day after posting $20,000 bond.
The state attorney general released the incident report Wednesday, but the Pomona Police Department had declined to provide basic information about the arrest for several days.
A sergeant told The Times that his supervisor ordered him not to give the media any information on Yglecias’ arrest. When he was contacted last week, Pomona Police Lt. Ron McDonald said he wouldn’t release any information.
For more crime news in Southern California, follow us on Twitter: @lacrimes and @marisagerber
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