Media Contact: Lynda Halligan, Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Phone: 714-285-2800, Email: Lynda@AOCDS.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AOCDS President Tom Dominguez Declares “We stand by our deputies” in Stanton Incident Recorded on Dashcam Video

SANTA ANA, CA – October 18, 2018

AOCDS President Tom Dominguez released the following statement today:

“We stand by our deputies.

The video released to the public by criminal attorney Scott Sanders shows an incident that occurred in the city of Stanton in August. Two deputies were responding to a citizen complaint. The brave actions of the deputies prevented the criminal defendant, who was obviously intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, from driving a 5,000-pound vehicle and potentially crashing into a family on their way to church on a Sunday morning.

Dealing with intoxicated people is one of the more dangerous aspects of working in law enforcement. People under the influence are often volatile, unpredictable and dangerous. The deputies acted in accordance with their training, department policy and the law. They did exactly what AOCDS, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the citizens of this county would expect them to do in this type of incident. These deputies attempted to de-escalate the situation.

These deputies acted appropriately before, during and after the incident. They properly reported the sequence of events and accurately documented what occurred. We agree with the District Attorney’s decision to file multiple charges against the defendant in this case.

The video depicts the incident from the viewpoint of a patrol vehicle parked a distance away from the car. It does not capture the perspective of what the deputies were witnessing and experiencing at that moment.

It is not surprising that criminal attorney Scott Sanders would make such exaggerated claims; he has a reputation in the criminal justice system for misstating and omitting facts, and manipulating the media, to obtain personal notoriety.

These deputies did their jobs. They should be commended for keeping this dangerous person off the roads and protecting the citizens of Stanton and Orange County. We applaud the citizen[s] who contacted the Sheriff’s Department for caring about our community and taking the time to report this individual before a tragic event could occur.”