A Los Angeles deputy has been found guilty of excessive force after violently body slamming a woman and pepper-spraying her after she tried to record a man’s arrest in an incident that drew national attention.
Trevor James Kirk, 32, of Santa Clarita, was found guilty of one felony count of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to the Department of Justice.
Kirk and another deputy responded to a report of a robbery on June 24, 2023, at a WinCo Foods grocery store allegedly committed by a man and a woman. Kirk and his partner encountered a man who matched the suspect description and immediately detained him.
A woman who matched the female’s suspect description and prosecutors identified as J.H. pulled out her phone, began recording live video of Kirk on social media, and told him he could not detain the man without telling him a legal basis for his detention.
Federal prosecutors say Kirk approached J.H. and tried to grab her phone without warning. When she turned away, he grabbed her arm, hooked his left hand behind her neck, and violently threw her face-first to the ground.
Kirk then pinned the woman to the ground and placed his knee on her shoulder. When she yelled for him to stop, he cocked his right arm back with a clenched fist and said, “Stop or you’re gonna get punched in the face,” prosecutors revealed in court.
He then pressed his knee into her neck. As she told him, “I can’t breathe,” he radioed other deputies to give them a misleading report that he was in a “fight.”
Then, without any additional commands, Kirk pepper-sprayed her twice in the face. She had to be treated for blunt-force head trauma and injuries to her head, arms, and wrist.
Bodycam video captured the entire use-of-force incident between Kirk and the woman.
The woman was unarmed and only holding prescription sunglasses and a cloth surgical mask.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department released a statement that the deputy was relieved of duty without pay and that his actions were “completely contrary” to the department’s values and standards, the L.A. Times reported.
“Law enforcement officers not only take an oath to uphold the law, but are held to the highest standards of accountability and integrity,” the department stated. “No deputy is above the law and any abuse of power which violates the public’s trust will not be tolerated.
The FBI investigated the incident. After a three-day trial, a jury found Kirk guilty.
His sentencing is scheduled for April 21. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
