Imperfect Paradise: Deputies severely beat a man struggling with mental health issues. Where are the records?

California Love

LAist Studios

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4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputies severely beat Joseph Perez in 2020, then arrested him. His mom Vanessa alleges that she had previously told law enforcement that Perez has a serious mental illness and would need to be placed in a psychiatric facility. Mother and son believe the deputies used unnecessary force on Perez and are the center of an ongoing legal battle, attempting to hold the sheriff’s department accountable for its actions. LAist Mental Health and Wellbeing Reporter Robert Garrova shares more about the case and discusses efforts for transparency around investigations into allegations of excessive use of force.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for LAST comes from FX's Welcome to Rexum.
0:03.4	Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds Welsh Football Club has made history, becoming the first team
0:07.8	ever to achieve three consecutive promotions.
0:10.3	Welcome to Rexum has also achieved three consecutive Emmy nominations in Outstanding Unstructured
0:15.0	Reality Program, now streaming on Hulu.
0:18.3	Support for LAST comes from Sony Pictures Classics, presenting East of Wall,
0:22.7	a new film directed by Kate B.croft that is a portrait of female cowgirls in the New
0:26.8	West about a rebellious rancher who must cope with her family, losing her ranch, and providing
0:31.5	for a group of wayward teens. Only in theaters August 15th. Hey, this is in Perfect Paradise.
0:37.7	I'm Antonia Serejida.
0:40.4	L.A. is a city that has a history of rising up against excessive use of force by law enforcement.
0:47.0	Probably the most famous instance of this was in 1992, with the L.A. uprising in reaction to the beating of Rodney King.
0:55.3	But what happens when there isn't a giant spotlight on excessive force?
1:00.0	Does previous outrage translate into lasting change?
1:03.8	Today, we're bringing you a story that shows how people with severe mental illness
1:08.3	can end up incarcerated, even when they have family members
1:11.9	doing all they can to get them help.
1:14.7	It's also about the use of force by law enforcement officers and a battle for records that
1:20.2	could have major implications on transparency around investigations into allegations of
1:26.2	excessive use of force,
1:28.2	and how law enforcement is or isn't held accountable.
1:32.7	LAS reporter Robert Grova covers mental health
	...

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