Police union criticizes Santa Ana officials over arrest response

Santa Ana police union President John Kachirisky criticized elected officials for seeking outside investigators and commenting publicly after a viral video showed officers violently arresting Florentino Lopez, Voice of OC reported Friday.

The dispute puts Santa Ana city leaders, police union officials and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office at the center of a local debate over police accountability and due process after a use-of-force incident caught public attention.

Voice of OC reported that John Kachirisky, president of the Santa Ana Police Officers Association, said the October 1 arrest involving two union members raised serious concerns for the union.

The case drew public scrutiny after an Instagram video showed Lopez bent over a police car before an officer threw him to the ground and punched him repeatedly in the head, according to Voice of OC. The report said two more officers later arrived and helped restrain Lopez.

Kachirisky criticized council members who he said sought the immediate firing of the officers before investigations and due process were finished. In a statement cited by Voice of OC, Kachirisky said, "Such statements are inappropriate and undermine the integrity of a process that is designed to establish the facts and ensure accountability based on evidence."

Councilman Johnathan Hernandez said at a Tuesday meeting that police should not investigate police misconduct cases, Voice of OC reported. Hernandez also called on Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer to drop the charges against Lopez and investigate the officers.

Lopez pleaded not guilty to charges including resisting and deterring an executive officer, resisting and obstructing officers, unlawfully being in the roadway and smoking marijuana on the grounds of a school, youth center or day care, according to Voice of OC. The report said Lopez is on probation for hit-and-run, carrying a loaded gun and reckless driving.

Council members unanimously voted in closed session to release the officers’ names and body-worn camera footage if officials legally determine that great bodily injury occurred because of the use-of-force incident, Voice of OC reported. The complaint lists the officers’ last names as Casillas and Benavides, but city officials did not confirm their first names when asked, according to the report.

The city’s next steps hinge on the legal determination of whether the use-of-force incident caused great bodily injury, according to Voice of OC.