Family of man found dead in pillar sues ex-deputy, says he left him there

The family of a man found dead outside a Lancaster supermarket in 2018 sued the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department last week, claiming officers knew 35-year-old Raymundo Rivera was trapped pillar and left him there to die.

For six years, Rivera's family believed his death was an accident — at least that's how the Sheriff's Department described it in official reports, the lawsuit states.

Then in May, they began to suspect otherwise, when the ex-girlfriend of a former deputy named Aaron Tanner filed an unrelated lawsuit alleging the former law enforcement officer had sexually assaulted her. More than two years of physical abuse and boasting that he was part of a vice gang whose members would “take care of her” if she told anyone.

In her legal complaint, the woman, referred to only as Jane Doe in court documents, also claims Tanner bragged about chasing Rivera and then watching him fall into a pillar outside a WinCo supermarket in Lancaster , leaving him there to die. She later said in the lawsuit that deputies “made false reports that they had lost track” of Rivera as she fled.

On Wednesday, Irene Pena, the deceased's widow, and Michelle Rivera, the deceased's daughter, filed separate lawsuits in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Tanner and other unnamed deputies of willful misconduct. , including “abandoning Rivera in life-threatening circumstances and subsequently falsifying information.” Report to cover up his actions. “

The lawsuit accuses the Sheriff's Department of promoting a “culture of lawlessness” by failing to discipline officers involved in law enforcement gangs and “encouraging silence to protect officers who engage in misconduct.”

Tanner's attorney did not respond to a request for comment. According to the Sheriff's Department, Tanner left the agency in December 2023.

Sheriff's officials told The Times in a statement that the department “does not condone any violation of the civil rights of others” and is working to hold officers accountable.

“The department has been conducting multiple comprehensive criminal gang investigations, the likes of which have never been conducted before, and, For the first time, we laid off people violates existing associate group and associate group policies,” the statement said. Since these terminations, the department has implemented stronger policies Ban police officers from joining hate groups or law enforcement gangs.

“It feels unreal that someone is coming forward,” Rivera's widow told los angeles public press Last year, her attorneys filed a notice of claim in June indicating the family planned to sue. She told the news organization she learned of the allegations surrounding her husband's death when she saw an article about Doe. era set.

Her attorney, Jesse Ruiz, said he was grateful the allegations came to light.

“The wait for justice is long,” he told The Times. Typically, he said, the statute of limitations for wrongful death cases is two years, but he hopes the recent discovery of “intentionally hidden” evidence will change that calculation.

According to the family's lawsuit, Rivera was chased by officers, including Tanner, on K-4 on West Main Street in Lancaster on Aug. 11, 2018.

“The pursuit was conducted under unclear and questionable circumstances, reflecting the potential for unnecessary escalation by LASD personnel,” the lawsuit states.

At the time, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials said Rivera appears to be the man who ran away after police tried to pull him over for having a fake license plate. He crashed his car, officials told KNBCthen fled to the roof of the supermarket and disappeared.

A few days later, the WinCo manager noticed an unpleasant odor and called maintenance crews, who began removing bricks from pillars outside the store and discovered a decomposing body.

“He may have gotten in there and crouched down to try to hide from deputies and then was unable to get out,” then-Lt. John Collina told local media at the time. He said it was “one of those strange cases”.

Two years later, Tanner and Doe entered into a relationship, according to her lawsuit. She claimed that while they were together, he told her he was an influential member of a “gang” called the Diamondbacks, and admitted several other facts, including the 2018 chase.

Doe said that after cutting ties with her in late 2022, Tanner and other members of the Diamondbacks stalked her while she was working. Two years later, she sued Tanner and the county in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking $5 million in damages. The case has been transferred to federal court and is still pending. In a December court filing, Tanner's attorneys generally deny charges against him.

Meanwhile, in a lawsuit filed last week, Rivera's family said officers “recklessly tortured” him and left him for dead when they could have “easily pulled him to safety.” .

The lawsuit also describes “systemic failures” at the Sheriff's Department, including “inadequate training, supervision and oversight of officers, particularly those associated with Sheriff's gangs,” which it says “engage in misconduct and lawlessness.” operate within the culture and perpetuate it”.