News Releases
July 24, 2023: District Attorney Gascón Announces Charges Against Supervising Deputy Probation Officer in Use-of-Force Incident with Minor
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Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced during a news conference today that Los Angeles County Probation Department Supervising Deputy Probation Officer Oscar Cross has been charged with the assault of a minor at the probation department’s Camp Kilpatrick facility in Malibu.
“I am deeply troubled by the recent reports of overdoses, assaults, and weapon possession within our juvenile halls,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “The conditions of confinement for these young people in L.A. County are truly alarming. We must ensure their safety within these institutions. Our role is to rehabilitate them, not subject them to further harm. Just as we hold minors accountable for their crimes within these halls, we will hold those entrusted with their care equally accountable.”
District Attorney Gascón was joined by Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath and Los Angeles County Probation Oversight Commissioner Franky Carrillo.
"Today, we affirm the County’s commitment to holding perpetrators of violence accountable. A Supervising Deputy Probation Officer acting with complete disregard for the well-being of a young person entrusted to his care, is rightfully being held to account for his abusive actions,” said L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. “I’m grateful that the District Attorney’s Office pursued this case, and I will continue to work every day to ensure all of our departments are accountable to the public and to those who are placed in their care.”
“Abuses within the juvenile system date back many decades,” said L.A. County Probation Oversight Commissioner Franky Carrillo. “I recall my own violent attack while in custody at Eastlake Juvenile Hall, after which I was left to make sense of how and why an adult was able to inflict abuse on a child, with zero accountability. The dignity and respect of all Los Angeles County Probation clients must be upheld. I applaud our District Attorney George Gascón for ensuring accountability for those who violate the core values of the Probation Department.”
Oscar Cross (dob 12/30/63) was charged in case BA516562 with one count of assault under the color of authority. He faces three years in county jail if convicted.
On October 23, 2020, Cross allegedly used excessive force as he and four other deputy probation officers attempted to restrain a juvenile at the Los Angeles County Probation Department’s Camp Kilpatrick facility.
A video of the incident can be viewed by visiting this link:
www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-11/video-of-l-a-county-probation-officer-bending-teen-in-half-sparks-outrage-claims-of-child-abuse.
The incident was first made public by a Los Angeles Times investigation
