According to attorneys representing the family of Anthony Vargas, a qualified immunity interlocutory appeal from the defendants was struck down by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In a statement on social media, civil rights attorney Humberto Guizar stated that the trial over this fatal shooting by deputies will now move forward.
On August 12, 2018, 21 year old Anthony Vargas was walking home from a prayer circle party. Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies Nikolis Perez and Jonathan Rojas (alleged prospects for a deputy-run gang known as “The Banditos”) for went after Vargas, falsely thinking he was the suspect in a robbery. Vargas, fearing for his life, ran from deputies, who shot him in the back 13 times. They claimed Vargas was reaching for a gun, but the family says Vargas has never owned a gun. The gun deputies claimed belonged to Vargas had no DNA matching Vargas on it.
Vargas’ family has been active in the civil rights protesting community in Los Angeles, and they have continued to rally in support of their son, while demanding justice and accountability from LASD.
The family says their activism has made them targets for harassment by the very deputies that killed Vargas. During an online seminar with activists and the ACLU, the aunt of Anthony Vargas was interrupted by deputies across the street from her. Among them: deputy Jonathan Rojas.
Civil rights attorney Christian Contreras, also representing the Vargas family, outlined their team’s victory in the Vargas case with a post on Facebook. Contreras says that he and Guizar filed and opposed at least seventeen separate motions, characterizing the fight as a “war.” He also highlights finding more evidence of gangs operating within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“However, through this litigation, we have proven the existence of deputy gangs. The federal judge in our case even stated in an order that we established the existence of the Banditos in the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s station. There is simply no justification for shooting an innocent unarmed young man ten (10) times in the back, two (2) times in the back of the head, and one (1) time in the arm. The murder of Anthony Vargas was a gang initiation shooting. Now, we are ready to proceed to trial. With Humberto as lead trial counsel and the support of our community, we are ready for the final battle in trial.” — Christian Contreras, attorney for the Vargas family
Riding the momentum of this victory, the team plans to increase the pressure against the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and the county over this tragic and avoidable murder.