THIN BLUE LINE

Every L.A. Deputy Involved in Teen’s Death Pleads the Fifth at Inquest

Andres Guardado was shot and killed by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy following a chase.

An inquest into the police killing of 18-year-old Andres Guardado in southern California ended without any questioning of the police who were present at the teenager’s death. The Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who shot Guardado five times in the back pleaded the fifth, as did detectives from the sheriff’s department. Judge Candace Cooper said Friday she wouldn’t look into why they all invoked their Fifth Amendment rights and she declared that her investigation was complete despite no new findings.

Guardado was shot and killed over the summer. The officers claimed he was armed and reaching for a gun when they tried to apprehend him. His death set off protests against police brutality in L.A. county in conjunction with those for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.