A San Diego County sheriff’s deputy was charged with using excessive force on a restrained inmate, causing a serious spinal injury that required surgery, and later attempting to cover up the incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
Deputy Jeremiah Manuyag Flores, 44, was indicted Thursday on suspicion of violating the civil rights of the 57-year-old inmate and falsifying a record in a federal investigation in connection with the incident that occurred on Aug. 29, 2024. Flores’ indictment was unsealed Friday.
The inmate, identified by federal prosecutors only as J.P., suffered a head wound, underwent surgery for a spinal injury and remained hospitalized “for months,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release.
“The actions described in this case are unacceptable,” Sheriff Kelly Martinez said in a statement. “Immediately upon hearing of the incident, an investigation was initiated, and Deputy Flores was placed on administrative assignment. The investigation led us to believe criminal actions occurred, and we presented the case to state and federal authorities.”
Flores has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 2021 and has been a deputy since 2023.
Flores, who was assigned to San Diego Central Courthouse’s court services bureau, was escorting the inmate to a holding cell after a court hearing when “he grabbed the back of J.P.’s shirt with both hands and pushed him faster down the hallway leading to the holding cell,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release.
Flores then allegedly shoved the inmate into the cell causing him to “smash into the bench and walls and collapse to the ground.”
“Flores stated, ‘What? Nothing happened,’ and failed to immediately report the incident to his supervisor and prepare an official report,” prosecutors said.
J.P. was found by another deputy more than two hours later in the same position with “a pool of blood on the floor,” prosecutors said.
After the inmate was found, Flores said in an incident report that “no force was used” when he put J.P. in the holding cell, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Flores, who lives in La Jolla, made his first appearance in court Friday and pleaded not guilty to both charges. He was released on a $25,000 bond conditioned on the surrender of his passport and personal firearms.
