ANTIOCH — A brand new trove of textual content messages despatched amongst Antioch officers exhibits gang unit members used unabashedly racist and homophobic language about suspects in a homicide conspiracy case, a revelation that imperils the high-profile prosecution, in accordance with information this information group obtained Thursday.
The messages present that a White officer who has referred to Black individuals as “gorillas” stated he deliberate to focus on Black males with violence. Later, Officer Eric Rombough shared footage of two males of their hospital beds, mocking their accidents whereas bragging about kicking one of many suspects’ heads like a “subject purpose.”
The exchanges detailed in a 14-page report are the second batch of deeply discriminatory texts involving Antioch cops, the existence of which grew to become recognized throughout a wide-ranging FBI and Contra Costa District Legal professional’s investigation into East Bay police departments. They add to an already damning portrayal of the Antioch Police Division, the place about one-fifth of the police drive is now on suspension for varied misdeeds.
The county’s public defender has stated that “1000's and 1000's of legal circumstances together with pending circumstances and previous convictions” involving Antioch officers might be impacted.
In probably the most not too long ago obtained batch of texts, eight officers together with gang unit detectives communicated over an 11-day interval in March 2021 whereas getting ready to arrest Terryonn Pugh and Trent Allen, each 22. Pugh and Allen, each Black males, had been amongst 4 suspected gang members the detectives had been surveilling. The boys had been apprehended in a police raid and later charged with tried homicide in August 2021 after prosecutors say the group conspired to kill its rivals.
Repeatedly, Rombough — who's on depart and below legal investigation by the FBI — appeared to enjoy capturing and beating the 2 males throughout the raid, all to the amusement of his fellow officers, the texts present.
On March 21, 2021, a bit greater than every week earlier than the arrests, Rombough texted Detective Robert Gerber, “Bro I can’t wait to forty all of them,” referring to capturing the suspects with a 40mm non-lethal spherical, in accordance with the report. Texts present he later made good on that promise.
“Hell yeah,” Gerber replied, the report says.
In a separate alternate a couple of days later, Officer Jonathan Adams texted Rombough that Black individuals “all look the identical.”
“Inform me about it,” Rombough messaged again. “I really feel like I’m on the zoo.” Rombough additionally made racist feedback about Black individuals “swarming to” ice cream “like Hennessy,” “watermelon and kool help” and commented, “I hate these idiots.”
After the March 31, 2021, raid, Rombough advised one other officer, “Bro, my foot hurts.” When requested if Rombough kicked one of many males, he responded “Yup, like a f—— subject purpose,” the doc says. He added, “Gotta cease kicking n—–s of their head.”
Rombough, a former Alameda County sheriff’s deputy who joined APD in February 2017, additionally used a homophobic slur whereas boasting to somebody concerning the arrest, describing how one suspect “obtained his ass whooped” by being shot with rubber bullets. Rombough described attempting to knock the person unconscious along with his foot — a transfer he claimed was authorized, as long as he didn’t additionally attempt to choke the person, texts present.
The violent encounter was a nice change, he stated, after an earlier, “very boring” SWAT operation.
“Good babe, one other one for the mantle,” somebody replied, in accordance with the report. They later added, “glad you’re havin enjoyable babe.”
A name by this information group to Rombough’s legal professional was not returned. Different officers named within the report as receiving texts from Rombough are Sgt. Joshua Evans, Scott Duggar, Tom Smith, Brock Marcotte and Timothy Manly.
In his first detailed assertion because the textual content messages grew to become public, Antioch police Chief Steve Ford decried the “sickening illness of racism” and condemned “within the strongest potential phrases the racially abhorrent content material and incomprehensible conduct” of his officers.
He added that an outdoor investigation was underway to make sure that “the group just isn't uncovered to any people below query from this reporting.”
“On behalf of our group, I apologize to the Antioch group for the harm brought on by this hateful speech,” Ford’s assertion stated. “I promise to carry accountable the officers expressing racist or bigoted beliefs, biased insensitivity, and people boasting about harming members of the group.”
Earlier this week, the Bay Space Information Group obtained a 21-page file of texts detailing how a bigger group of officers referred to Black individuals as “gorillas” and “water buffalo” and continuously used the n-word whereas gloating that the racist language may very well be utilized in entrance of superiors and inside affairs investigators with out concern of reprisal. Some officers talked about falsifying arrest experiences and congratulated one another for violence inflicted upon residents, in accordance with the investigative experiences.
The 2 experiences, each compiled by a Contra Costa District Legal professional senior inspector, single out 17 officers as the principle topics of the DA’s investigation, however the whole quantity is far greater. In all, 44 officers — almost half of the police division — are named as having acquired not less than one of many textual content messages which can be a part of the investigation.
The newest messages elevate deep considerations about whether or not officers on the division may ever be trusted once more, stated Carmela Caramagno, an legal professional for Pugh. She decried how Rombough and different officers appeared to point out racial animus straight towards Pugh and Allen whereas sharing pictures of the 2 of their hospital beds and making gentle of their accidents.
“I’ve by no means seen something like this,” Caramagno stated. “I’m nonetheless devastated, on all ranges — for the group, for my shoppers, for my shopper’s household, for what it does to our residents’ view of the justice system general.”
“The query we actually should ask ourselves is: Why did no person come ahead to assist these males of colour and assist these defendants?” Caramagno added. “Now we have to recollect these are very younger males. And the way can we gauge the impression of dwelling below this sort of racial hatred has on these younger males? And the way as a group can we settle for duty for that?”
Allen’s legal professional, Mathew Martinez, stated there’s a troubling “casualness” woven all through the texts.
“It’s laborious to have a look at this and never be — primary — disillusioned,” Martinez stated in an interview. “I really feel badly for my shopper. And never simply my shopper however the group that has been policed by these guys for years.”