Next News Network

Last week a 17 year old who ran over a mother and her baby in LA in broad daylight while on drugs driving a stolen car received an unusually lite sentence after pleading guilty.

The assailant pleaded guilty to two felony charges of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and one felony count of hit-and-run. Despite this, he only received a sentence of five to seven months in a juvenile probation camp, courtesy of Los Angeles’ woke District Attorney George Gascon.

The minimal charges were just the tip of the iceberg. Once the public found out about the sentencing and the outcry for justice began, Gascon attempted to obfuscate the public by saying conservative LA Sheriff Villanueva, who often speaks out against Gascon’s policies, had agreed with the charges.

Gascon’s office put out statement saying: “Fortunately, the baby was uninjured, and the mother received a laceration to her elbow. The Sheriff’s Department agreed with the felony charges that were filed. At arraignment, the minor admitted two felony counts of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and one felony count of hit-and-run. The Probation Department recommended, and the court sentenced the minor to a youth camp for five to seven months, an appropriate resolution. In this case, this teen will be held accountable for his actions and receive the needed services to foster positive development to keep him from committing future offenses.”

LA Sheriff Alex Villanueva fired back at the claims from Gascon, insisting that his office had never been consulted on the charges despite the DA’s statement, “We were never consulted as we were not the investigating agency.”

Villanueva then doubled down with an even stronger worded tweet, declaring that they would have NEVER accepted that particular sentence even if they had been asked.

“We were never consulted as we were not the investigating agency. Sheriff’s investigators would never be OK with the lightweight sentencing in this hit-and-run case. Stop empowering and encouraging criminal behavior. Hold them accountable #VictimsMatter.”

Then, in another twist, District Attorney Gascon’s office actually retracted their previous statement justifying the charges.

A spokesman for the DA’s office said, “Need to correct our statement from yesterday. LASD was not involved in the decision on the felony charge, as they were not the investigating agency in that case.”

George Gascon is currently facing a mounting recall effort to remove him from office following a significant increase in violent crimes under his watch fueled by weak sentencing for criminals. The petition just recently hit 500,000 signatures last week of the 566,857 needed to force a recall.

Los Angeles has become more crime ridden in recent years, with many residents choosing to simply leave for other cities and states. Do you think Gascon’s lenient sentencing is a major factor behind this. If he is removed from office, do you think different leadership could eventually save the city?