Sheriff's deputy pleads no contest, avoids jail in fatal shooting of East LA man
EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy pleaded no contest Tuesday to two felony assault charges stemming from the shooting death of a 34-year-old man in East Los Angeles in full view of his relatives, with the man's family objecting to the plea deal.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold said he "agonized over whether it was the right thing to do," but said he believed the plea agreement reached between the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office and the defense in the case of Remin Pineda "does comport with justice."
Pineda, 40, was immediately sentenced to two years probation, ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and undergo one year of psychological counseling, give up his certification as a peace officer and write an apology to the family of David Ordaz Jr. as a result of his plea to one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and assault by a public officer.
The judge suspended a 180-day jail sentence that Pineda could face if he violates the terms of his probation.
The case stemmed from the March 14, 2021, shooting death of Ordaz, whose relatives said he was in the midst of a mental health crisis at the time.
Deputy District Attorney Ryan Dibble noted that "the victim's family opposes this disposition," with Ordaz's family members subsequently pleading with the judge not to move forward with the plea agreement.
"We do not agree with it," the victim's sister, Hilda Pedroza, said, pleading with the judge to "give him something more."
"We're not asking for him to rot in jail," she said, telling the judge that she was imploring him to give Pineda "what he deserves."
"I don't want an apology from him," Pedroza said. "It's not going to mean anything to me."
The victim's father, David Ordaz Sr., said through a Spanish interpreter that he didn't think the plea deal was fair.
"I would like him to spend some time in jail," he said, noting that his son had left "three children without a dad" behind.
"I ask that you do justice," he added.
One of the victim's daughters, Emily, urged the judge to deliver justice "to the man who killed my father."
The judge called what happened a "tragedy," but said "this incident unfolded in the blink of an eye."
"He made this decision to fire that last shot in less than a second," the judge said of Pineda, whom he said is "not the typical felon that comes in here."
Two other potential plea deals since the case was filed had been scuttled.
The prosecutor said the plea "provides clear accountability" for Pineda's actions, and noted that he will no longer be able to work as a peace officer.
Defense attorney Steven Alvarado said during the court hearing, "There are no winners in this case ... Remin Pineda is paying a heavy price here."
Sheriff's deputies went to the family's home in response to a call from Ordaz's relatives, who reported that he was suicidal and had a knife, authorities said.
Two deputies initially fired bean-bag rounds at Ordaz when he walked toward them while holding the knife, according to a statement released by the District Attorney's Office shortly after the case was filed against Pineda in 2022.
Ordaz allegedly continued to advance on deputies with the knife, drawing gunfire from multiple deputies, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Pineda was accused of continuing to fire his weapon after Ordaz had fallen to the ground and dropped the knife.
Video of the shooting was posted on YouTube. The sheriff's department also later released body-camera footage from the shooting scene.
The family's federal lawsuit against the sheriff's department contends that deputies used excessive force.
"In fact, the coroners report shows that all of the bullets except two, struck him on the back and on the side and the final bullet as visualized in the video shows a helpless David Ordaz Jr. looking up from the pavement without any weapon, and the killing shot was fired into his chest," the lawsuit alleges.
Body-worn camera footage indicates at least 10 rounds were fired, including a single shot fired immediately after the flurry of gunfire had stopped and Ordaz was lying face up on the sidewalk, holding his shoulder.
Then-Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in 2021 that he had "grave concerns" about the circumstances of the shooting.
In a statement released after Pineda's plea and sentencing, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said, "Currently, Deputy Remin Pineda has been relieved of duty since July 13, 2021, without pay. Once the criminal proceedings are finalized then the department will continue the internal administrative investigation."
"The department has strict policies and procedures in place that guide the actions of our personnel and when there is evidence that they have been violated, individuals are held accountable," the department added. "We maintain high standards for our personnel and expect them to serve our communities with honor, integrity, and a commitment to maintaining public trust. No badge exempts an individual from facing accountability."
After the sentence was imposed, Ordaz's family criticized the judge's decision to go along with the plea.
His daughter, who was 15 when her father was killed, said, "I'm just disappointed -- not that I had much hope in the justice system to begin with. Now all that I had is completely gone."
Emily Ordaz said she didn't believe that a "split-second decision was made" and thinks Pineda saw that her father was having a mental health crisis and "took that opportunity to kill."
She said she broke down during the court hearing "at the thought of my father gone and us being his only voice and we're not being listened to, our input not taken into account."
The victim's sister told reporters that the family had hopes that the outcome of the case would be different, but said she told the prosecutor that she wanted a different judge to preside over the case "after we found out that both Judge Arnold and his son were both police officers."
Hilda Pedroza said the family is "completely disappointed at the decision today" and that any hope they had in the justice system has been "taken away."
