Los Angeles Progressive District Attorney George Gascon is revoking his claim that the county sheriff’s department “agreed to the felony charges” and a lenient sentence against a teenager who was convicted of driving a car to a mother and her 8-month-old son.
The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault that could result in grievous bodily harm and a felony of assault and flight, but was sentenced to five to seven months in a parole camp for to minors. Prosecutors describe the camp as “less than a military school and a little harder than a summer camp.”
The initial incident occurred on August 6, 2021.
An initial Gascon statement provided to Fox News Digital said the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department agreed with the charges and sentencing.
“Fortunately, the baby was not injured and the mother received an elbow laceration,” her office told Fox News Digital on Friday. “The Sheriff’s Department agreed with the charges against him. At the time of his appearance, the juvenile admitted two counts of aggravated assault that could result in grievous bodily harm and one count of assault. “The probation department recommended and the court sentenced the juvenile to a five- to seven-month youth camp, an appropriate resolution.”
Surveillance footage captured the incident on August 6, 2021. Los Angeles County
The statement added that the juvenile justice system aims to “rehabilitate young people”.
“In this case, this teenager will be responsible for his actions and will receive the necessary services to encourage positive development to prevent him from committing future offenses,” the statement said.
After Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva called Gascon and said, “We were never consulted because we weren’t the investigative agency,” the Gascon office corrected the statement Saturday, saying the Gascon office sheriff was not involved.
“Our statement yesterday needs to be corrected. LASD was not involved in the decision on the felony charge as they were not the investigating agency in this case,” a spokesman for the district attorney’s office said.
Villanueva had previously said his office was not consulted about the charges.
“We were never consulted because we were not the investigating agency,” the Los Angeles official wrote on Facebook and Twitter early Saturday. “Sheriff’s investigators would never agree to the light sentence in this case of assault. Stop empowering and encouraging criminal behavior. Make them responsible #VictimsMatter.”
Video surveillance captured the incident by camera, which shows the car hitting the mother, who was walking her son with a stroller.
George Gascon had previously said that the county sheriff’s office “agreed with the charges.” AP The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by force that could result in grievous bodily harm and a felony of assault. -run. Los Angeles County
The mother wrote in the impact report of a victim that she thought “were the last moments of our lives.”
“I thought those were the last moments of our lives; we were dead, “wrote the mother, who asked to be identified only as Rachel, in the victim’s impact statement.” That feeling, along with the memory of a car speeding straight at us, he will pursue forever. “
Police sources say the driver, who was 16 at the time, initially told police the mother appeared out of nowhere and hit her in an accident with the stolen car.
The mother who was beaten hit what she called a light sentence in the case. Los Angeles County
“As the car approached me and my son, I stopped walking and moved the car and myself against a building on the right side of the road to make sure we gave the reckless driver plenty of room to pass.” , said Rachel. “As the car approached us dangerously, [the juvenile suspect] he turned the wheels in our direction and accelerated as he tried to kill us. “
Rachel criticized Gascon for what she considered to be an extremely light phrase.
“I was also told that his record would be deleted when he turned 18,” he continued. “How can that be? He tried to kill two innocent pedestrians. Murder. And we have video evidence. My son would be dead if he hadn’t been there to protect him.”