This morning, the LA Times published a story about Gabriel Carrillo, a young man who claimed he went to Men's Central Jail in February to visit his brother when he was brutally beaten by sheriff's deputies, and then charged with assaulting the officers.

As the Times reports, the trumped up charges against Carrillo have been dropped by the D.A.'s Office.

The Times also notes that it was LA Weekly, right here, which originally shed light on Carrillo's case in the first place.

As reported last May, Carrillo was detained in a room near the jail's visiting area after officers discovered he had a cell phone on him, which was against the jail's rules.

The next thing Carrillo knew, he claims he was being bludgeoned and beaten by deputies, who maced him while he lay bleeding on the floor.

Carrillo is now free, as the charges against Carillo have been dismissed.

According to the Times,

The district attorney's office charged Carrillo with battery, resisting the deputies, trying to escape arrest and bringing a cellphone into the jail. But prosecutors last week abruptly dropped the case, saying they were awaiting more Sheriff's Department reports. They would not elaborate and said they might refile the charges later …

A judge declared the initial arrest of Carrillo unlawful, finding that he might have violated Sheriff's Department rules, but not the law, by possessing a cellphone in the jail.

In addition, reports the Times, the feds – who are investigating widespread allegations of abuse at the jail – are looking into Carrillo's case.

Carrillo's attorney, Ron Kaye, told the Times that, “federal agents requested and have received Sheriff's Department reports he was given by the district attorney's office. They also asked to interview his client but have yet to do so, Kaye said.”

Of course, there's a darn good chance that nobody would've heard of Carrillo if it hadn't been for attorney Ed Garcia, who contacted the Weekly last February telling us about Carillo. Garcia arranged a meeting between the Weekly and Carrillo while Carrillo's injuries were still fresh, and the rest is history.

And in this one instance, it seems, justice prevails.

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