OAKLAND, CA (August 1, 2016) — Civil rights law firm Haddad & Sherwin LLP announced today that they have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit for Stanislav Petrov stemming from his widely-reported beating by Alameda County deputies on November 12, 2015. The incident started with a vehicle pursuit across the Bay Bridge and ended in a San Francisco alley, where little did deputies know, their apprehension of Petrov was being video-recorded. The incident went viral after surveillance camera footage was posted to YouTube. See, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irh3JUch7Hg.
The lawsuit names as Defendants: ALAMEDA COUNTY, SHERIFF GREGORY J. AHERN, and ACSO DEPUTIES PAUL WIEBER, LUIS SANTAMARIA, SHAWN OSBORNE, MALIZIA, MILLER, SHELTON, GRIFFITH, and SERGEANT TAYLOR who were all present and participated in this illegal infliction of “Street Justice” either directly or by failing to stop deputies from attacking and robbing Petrov. Mr. Petrov sustained severe injuries including multiple crushing hand and finger fractures requiring surgeries, blunt force injuries, head trauma with concussion and multiple lacerations to his scalp, and permanent disability and disfigurement.  The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
On May 10, 2016, Defendant Deputies Wieber and Santamaria were each charged with multiple felony crimes in connection with their uses of force against Mr. Petrov, including assault under color of authority, assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated battery with serious bodily injury. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/SF-prosecutors-to-announce-charging-decision-in-7442018.php. Despite the ACSO’s recommendation to the Alameda County District Attorney that Mr. Petrov be charged with 12 separate crimes, the District Attorney declined to charge Petrov with any crime in connection with this incident.
Additionally, the ACSO reportedly placed Defendant Deputy Shawn Osborne on leave after information surfaced that he may have stolen a valuable gold chain from Mr. Petrov after the beating and gave the chain to witnesses to buy their silence. http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Claim-says-deputies-in-SF-alley-beating-stole-7215604.php. A closer look at the video appears to show Defendant Osborne with that gold chain. https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Enhanced-video-shows-deputy-taking-suspect-s-7380140.php.
Questions have also been raised about the fact that deputies trashed their original reports and wrote new reports, by order of a supervisor, after the video came out. https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Deputies-revised-reports-in-alley-beating-7218758.php.
Michael Haddad, one of Petrov’s attorneys, said, “This case will continue to bring accountability and change to the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. We intend to make sure that justice includes reforming the corrupt culture in the Sheriff’s Office that allowed these crimes to happen in front of so many deputies.”
This story has generated intense local, national, and international interest:Â https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/03/31/california-man-beat-by-deputies-claims-they-stole-from-him-to-bribe-witnesses/?utm_term=.316060af2e1a;Â http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/10/us/deputies-charged-san-francisco-beating/;Â Â https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3515072/SF-homeless-couple-claims-cop-bribed-jewelry-witnessed-brutal-beating.html.
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