Deputy charged with federal civil rights violation after controversial arrest in Lancaster

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who was caught on video throwing a woman to the ground outside a store in Lancaster has been indicted, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

Trevor James Kirk, 31, of Santa Clarita, is accused of using excessive force when he threw down and pepper-sprayed a woman during a shoplifting investigation outside a WinCo Foods store last year.

He's charged in a single-count indictment with deprivation of rights under color of law and is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.

"When an officer violates the civil rights of another person, it undermines public safety for all of us," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada. "Officers must be held accountable when they violate constitutional rights, and my Office is committed to prosecuting those who abuse their authority and breach the public's trust."

The incident happened on June 24, 2023. The department says deputies were apprehending a man and woman accused of shoplifting inside the store.

In cell phone video, Kirk was placing handcuffs on a man before approaching a woman who was recording the encounter. The woman told Kirk not to touch her before he grabbed her and slammed her onto the ground.

The man who was being arrested then yelled "Don't slam her down like that" and said that the woman has cancer.

As Kirk struggled to cuff the woman on the ground, another person recording the incident yelled for the deputy to stop.

The indictment further alleges that shortly after, without giving any additional commands to the woman, Kirk pepper-sprayed her twice in the face.

Kirk is also being accused of drafting and submitting a "misleading report" to the sheriff's department in which he "portrayed the victim as a threat to his physical safety, claiming that she assaulted him, attempted to hit him, and took a 'fighting' or 'blading' stance," the U.S. Attorney's Offices said.

If convicted, Kirk would face up to 10 years in federal prison.