LA MESA, Calif. — Fired La Mesa Police officer Matthew Dages was in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. He's facing a felony charge for allegedly lying on a police report after arresting Amaurie Johnson near the Grossmont Trolley Station. Many believe that incident, which was captured on video that went viral, contributed to the outrage that sparked a destructive riot a few days later.
Dages pleaded not guilty during his arraignment back in March.
Witnesses on the stand in Judge Patricia Cookson’s courtroom relived Dages' actions on May 27, 2020. He was working with several other officers on a special trolley fare enforcement operation. Johnson was waiting for a friend when Dages approached him. Videos don't show their initial interaction, but they do show Dages pushing Johnson several times and eventually arresting him.
In his report, Dages said he approached Johnson because he was illegally smoking, but facts in the case don't seem to support that.
“The false police report is that he thought he was smoking,” said Yusef Miller from the Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego. “He didn't think he was smoking because he had no cigarette. He had no lighter. He didn't even lift a lit object to his lips. This is a lie.”
Supporters of Johnson are disappointed that Dages isn't facing more serious charges for his physical actions. They also credit Johnson for staying relatively calm.
“I see in the video - and we all see in the video where he's holding Amaurie Johnson - pulling him by the t-shirt and then pushing him away,” Miller said. “This is antagonizing. This is kind of like baiting the person into an altercation.”
Dages had several family members and other supporters in the courtroom. They say the charge against him is unwarranted. “
Here we have a rogue district attorney who is prosecuting an officer unjustly,” said Moses Castillo, a retired LAPD detective. “I think she's trying to appease the mob rule, obviously two days after this, the George Floyd incident... it's very volatile.”
Editors' note: George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020 - two days before the Amaurie Johnson arrest.
That volatility some believe led to a huge riot in the streets of La Mesa. Multiple people were injured and several buildings were destroyed.
Dages was fired based on allegations that he violated several police department rules and regulations, including falsification of records, according to a termination letter issued last summer by then-police Chief Walt Vasquez.
The now-retired chief wrote that Dages made false and misleading statements in his police report regarding alleged smoking and fare evasion violations he said Johnson committed. The letter states that Dages also failed to activate his body-worn camera in a timely fashion during the arrest and "directed profane, insolent language and made discourteous comments" to Johnson.
In March, Dages asked for his job back by petitioning the San Diego Superior Court to have the City of La Mesa and the appeals board that upheld his firing, reinstate him as an officer as well as provide him back pay with interest.
Additionally, the filing states that Dages seeks "to remove from Petitioner's personnel file or any other file used for personnel purposes, documentation relating to the discipline."
Dages' filing alleges the appeals board's decision to deny his appeal is invalid because the board "failed to proceed in the manner required by law; the decision is not supported by the findings, and the findings are not supported by the weight of the evidence."
Following his arrest, Johnson was released on a misdemeanor citation and the police department later announced it would not be seeking charges against him. Johnson later filed a federal lawsuit against Dages and the city of La Mesa.
Dages' preliminary hearing is to determine if there's enough evidence to send the case to trial. It's scheduled to continue Wednesday.
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