Letters to the Editor: ‘A disturbing abuse of authority’ after immigration agents fired at man’s truck
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To the editor: The report on Francisco Longoria’s arrest (“San Bernardino man arrested after immigration officers shot at his truck,” Aug. 29) reveals a disturbing abuse of authority that should not be allowed to fade into silence.
In court, the prosecutor admitted he didn’t know what traffic violation justified the stop and was “not aware of any injuries” to the officers who claimed assault. Video evidence shows no attack — only officers retreating and then pursuing. And let’s top all of that off with the fact that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have no authority whatsoever to make stops due to traffic violations.
Yet no one — neither San Bernardino police, the district attorney, nor the California attorney general — has opened an investigation into unlawful detention, assault with a deadly weapon or the reckless use of deadly force.
If a civilian had fired into a truck with a family inside, charges would be swift. When government agents do it, silence is the response. That is not the rule of law — it is the rule of impunity.
Stephen Downing, Long Beach
The writer is a retired deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
