The former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Andres Guardado three years ago, setting off street protests, will not face criminal charges, officials announced Friday.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute former Deputy Miguel Vega in Guardado’s June 2020 death. Authorities said Guardado was shot five times in the back.
“My heart goes out to the Guardado family,” Gascón said in a statement.
“Nothing that my office can do will mitigate the unimaginable pain that those that knew and loved Andres must be feeling. This decision doesn’t validate the actions of these officers. They have a troubling background of misconduct and that was thoroughly considered. Sadly, at the end of the day we do not believe that there is enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Prosecutors indicated that Vega was the only witness to the shooting of the 18-year-old Gardena man and no surveillance footage was available, facts that would have made it difficult for a guilty verdict to be reached.
Guardado was shot after running from authorities while working as an informal security guard at an auto shop near Gardena.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said at the time that the deputy and his partner, Chris Hernandez, reported that they saw Guardado “produce a handgun” and flee as they approached. Vega said he fired after Guardado allegedly reached for the deputy’s gun as Vega was attempting to handcuff him.
Sheriff’s officials said a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with no serial number and an illegal extended magazine loaded with 13 rounds was recovered at the scene. They also said there is no evidence Guardado fired any shots.
In a separate case, Vega and Hernandez were charged in a federal indictment unsealed Thursday with conspiracy, witness tampering, falsification of records and depriving a 24-year-old man of his civil rights in an incident that took place two months before Guardado’s killing.
A march for Guardado in June 2020 ended with a clash between deputies and protesters in Compton.