Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
DA Declines To Files Charges Against LA Sheriff’s Deputy Who Killed Andres Guardado
A sign held up at a Father's Day 2020 protest against Guardado's killing.
(
Brian Feinzimer for LAist
)
L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón has decided against filing criminal charges against the sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Andres Guardado in 2020, according to a declination letter obtained by LAist.
The letter states that “given the available evidence, there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt” Deputy Miguel Vega’s actions “were not because he honestly and reasonably feared for his life at the time he fired his pistol.”
The backstory
Sheriff’s investigators said Deputies Miguel Vega and Christopher Hernandez told them that they saw Guardado with a gun as he stood outside an auto body shop near Compton. When they tried to stop him, he ran down the shop’s driveway.
Support for LAist comes from
The declination letter says that according to Vega, Guardado stopped, put the gun on the ground and lay face down, but as Vega went to handcuff him Guardado made a grab for the weapon. Vega opened fire. There were no witnesses to the shooting other than Vega.
There's also no video of the shooting; the incident occurred before Sheriff's deputies began wearing body cams, and there's no surveillance video of Vega opening fire. An autopsy found Guardado was shot five times in the back.
Why it matters
Police watchdogs had closely followed this case because it happened less than a month after the murder of George Floyd and sparked days of angry protests. They repeatedly had called on Gascón to file charges against Vega, and claimed the deputy unnecessarily killed Guardado as part of a ritual to join a deputy gang.
The FBI has also investigated the Guardado shooting but there so far have been no charges by federal prosecutors. Last fall the county paid $8 million to settle a wrongful death suit filed by Guardado's family.
Go deeper
Federal prosecutors have secured an indictment against Vega and Hernandez in another case involving witness tampering and the alleged false imprisonment of a skateboarder two months before the Guardado shooting.
Support for LAist comes from
Guardado’s family is “deeply disappointed” by Gascón’s decision, according to a statement from its attorney, Nicholas Yoka. It reiterated the family’s belief that Vega shot Guardado “for no justifiable reason,” and said the indictment for false imprisonment demonstrates that Vega and Hernandez should not have been in uniform on the day they encountered Guardado.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Wasteland Weekend is all about souped-up rust buckets, spikey costumes and an ‘ideal apocalypse.’ -
The Shadow the Scientists initiative at UC Santa Cruz strives to demystify astronomical research. -
Some submissions to the Pasadena Humane Society were made by extremely talented artists. The others … tried their best. -
Isolated showers can still hit the L.A. area until Friday as remnants from the tropical storm move out. -
First aspiring spectators must register online, then later in 2026 there will be a series of drawings. -
It's thanks to Tropical Storm Mario, so also be ready for heat and humidity, and possibly thunder and lightning.
Best of LAist