A former San Diego County sheriff’s deputy shoved a pre-trial detainee from behind while his legs were shackled and his hands chained at the waist, causing the man to “fly across his holding cell, headfirst into the far wall and collapse to the ground,” according to prosecutors.
The man’s spinal column was fractured. The deputy then attempted a cover-up.
Jeremiah Manuyag Flores, 45, of La Jolla has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for the incident that occurred in August 2024.
The victim lay in a pool of his own blood for more than two hours before being found by another deputy. In a report that Flores was directed to fill out about his interactions with the detainee, referred to in court documents as J.P, the defendant made “multiple false statements, including, ‘no force was used,’” prosecutors said.
A still shot from a surveillance camera showed Flores walking away from the detainee’s cell following the incident with a smile on his face. During Flores’ sentencing, U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez said, “I don’t know how many years it’s going to be before I get that photo out of my mind. Your conduct was egregious.”
In a federal investigation, Flores was charged with the deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records. He was found guilty in December 2025 on both counts by a jury after just two hours of deliberations, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of California.
In a statement, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department condemned the actions of their former deputy, saying “his actions do not reflect the values of our organization” and that “our agency does not tolerate the use of excessive force or lying by deputies.” The department said that, as a result of an internal investigation, Flores was effectively terminated from his role at the department on June 9 of this year.
Because of the convictions, Flores will no longer be eligible to work for law enforcement at any level, including local, state and federal agencies.
Flores, who had been out of jail on bond, was ordered to begin his prison sentence on Aug. 18.
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