By Russell Poole and Michael Douglas Carlin

On Thursday, February 26, 1998 between the hours of 1623 and 1715, Ismael Jimenez and Eduardo Hernandez were standing, conversing, in front of a tattoo parlor located on the second level of a strip mall. Los Angeles Police Officers Brian Hewitt and his partner Daniel Lujan approached and detained them because of a personnel complaint Hernandez and his mother had made against Officer Jerry Stewart.

Jimenez and Hernandez were cuffed with plastic handcuffs and placed in a four-door Chevrolet Blazer that drove them to their respective vehicles that were parked in a nearby parking lot. The detainees vehicles were both illegally searched by the officers. Following the searches Officer Hewitt threatened to arrest Jimenez for Grand Theft Auto on his own vehicle.

The detainees, Jimenez and Hernandez, were then driven to Rampart Detective Division where they were escorted to separate interview rooms where they were placed and remained handcuffed. Officer Hewitt entered the interview room where Hernandez was waiting. Officer Hewett questioned Hernandez about the personnel complaint made against Officer Stewart. Officer Hewett reminded Hernandez that he had warned him on previous occasions about filing complaints against him and his fellow officers.

Officer Hewitt then pressured Hernandez about where he could go to find a gun. Hernandez refused to cooperate with Officer Hewitt which upset Hewitt as he stated, "You fu**ed up for putting a complaint against Officer Stewart and to pay for that you have to give me some information.” Hernandez again refused to cooperate with Officer Stewart who then threatened to arrest Hernandez on a false criminal charge. Officer Hewitt asked if Hernandez had been interviewed by internal affairs; Hernandez replied, "No.” Hewitt told Hernandez not to say anything to Internal Affairs, "Just let it go. You should know the routine by now. I’m here to clean up the complaint you filed against Officer Stewart.”

Officer Hewitt then took Hernandez to the lobby of the precinct where Hernandez was approached by another Officer who asked him why he made a complaint against Officer Stewart and threatened to arrest him for doing so. The Officer then told Hernandez "to get the f**k out of here,” and refused to allow Hernandez to wait for Jimenez. Hernandez left the Rampart precinct.

Officer Hewitt, who had previously said to Jimenez, "You and me are going to have a private chit chat,” now entered the interview room where Jimenez was held and ordered him to stand up and move to the corner of the room. Officer Hewitt threatened to book Jimenez on a false criminal charge because of Hernandez and his mother filed a personnel complaint against Officer Stewart. "You’re going down for it,” said Officer Hewitt and then asked Jimenez where he could find a gun.

Angered by Jimenez’ refusal to cooperate Officer Hewitt grabbed Jimenez by the throat and squeezed with his left hand and forced him backward into the wall where his head struck saying, "You’re not f**king hearing me, I will book you for anything. You had better tell me tonight where I could find a gun.” Jimenez was unable to respond verbally to Officer Hewitt so Officer Hewitt punched Jimenez with a clenched fist several times on the chest and once on the left side of the stomach (kidney punch) saying, "all I want is a little gun.”

The entire time the assault took place, Jimenez was handcuffed with his hands behind his back. On the verge of losing consciousness and seconds after Officer Hewitt left the room, Jimenez vomited blood on the carpet. The other Officer, that had sent Hernandez away, then entered the interview room where Jimenez informed him that he couldn’t breathe and that he had vomited blood on the carpet. Jimenez pleaded with this officer to remove the handcuffs from his wrists. The Officer looked at the blood stained carpet and stated, "Oh shit,” and left the room. Before deciding to remove the cuffs from Jimenez’ wrists, the Officer entered and left the room three times, one of those times to provide Jimenez with a cup of water. The Officer then released Jimenez by walking him past many fellow police officers. Jimenez then exited the Rampart Precinct. Once outside, Jimenez then vomited blood again on the sidewalk.

Hernandez assisted Jimenez into the Emergency Room. Security personnel at the hospital greeted them. Jimenez told them that he had been assaulted by an LAPD Officer. One of the security guards contacted the Rampart Area Watch Commander to report the incident.

Dr. Brian Harris attended to Jimenez’ injuries. Jimenez told him that he had been beaten by Officer Hewitt. Dr. Harris stated that Jimenez sustained injuries that were consistent with being choked and punched in the chest. It was Dr. Harris’ opinion that Jimenez may have vomited blood as a result of being punched in the left side of his abdomen. Six to eight officers kept coming in and out of the Emergency Room attempting to monitor the status of the situation.

Three hours after Jimenez and Hernandez were detained, the Rampart Area Watch Commander received a telephone call from assault victim Jimenez. Jimenez reported to the Lieutenant that he was being treated at the Emergency Room for injuries he sustained while in police custody. Jimenez further stated that Rampart police officer Hewitt assaulted him at the Rampart Precinct. A Rampart Patrol Sergeant was dispatched to take a taped statement. A written statement was generated and Jimenez signed that statement. SID took photos of injuries sustained during the beating, and obtained blood samples of the victim.

The Sergeant followed up by visiting the crime scene where he found a large red stain resembling blood on the carpet floor. SID (Scientific Investigative Division) was dispatched to take photos and collect samples that were booked into evidence and sent off to the lab for comparison to Jimenez’ blood samples.

Officer on duty that night, when questioned, remembered Jimenez walking past them. They had no recollection of any injuries or that Jimenez was acting abnormally in any way. The Watch Commander, when questioned, had no recollection of any of the events of the night. When he was handed his logs of the incident by interviewing detectives he again said he had no recollection of anything. The original investigating officer that came to the hospital said that the doctor told him that Jimenez was not injured. When Jimenez was brought back to Rampart for a subsequent interview an officer entered and told him, "You better watch what you say. It may not come back on you, but on your friends.”

When the official statement of Dr. Brian Harris was taken, it confirmed Jimenez account of events. He noted that Jimenez had complained of neck pain, neck bruising, and apparent vomiting after blunt trauma. Dr. Harris noted that anterior neck markings were consistent with finger markings as if he was choked, further that Jimenez had moderate bilateral anterior chest wall tenderness, and that Jimenez had vomited in the Emergency Room. Jimenez detailed his account similar in all respects to his official statements and the doctor opined that the account was consistent with his injuries. Additionally the doctor stated that while he treated Jimenez, there were approximately six to eight officers present. All of the officers when questioned denied ever being there or seeing other officers at the hospital.

One officer that did come forward with information consistent with Jimenez’ account of events was told by fellow officers, "Don’t concern yourself with Jimenez. He has made a complaint and now is fair game.” In spite of this officer being a good Samaritan and providing assistance to the victim by giving him a glass of water, he was subsequently terminated by failing to drive Jimenez to the hospital and instead releasing the injured victim. Interesting to note that none of the other officers drove Jimenez to the hospital.

When the blood evidence was DNA tested against the carpet it matched Jimenez’ blood. All of the direct evidence supported Jimenez’ complaint and refuted the many officers direct testimony. Officer Hewitt was also fired but all of the other officers in the chain of command that were witnesses to the events were cleared in the incident.

Through this incident we get a glimpse of the innerworkings of a police department. Nobody saw anything and if they did there would be hell to pay. The only other one besides the assailant, that tried to cooperate was discharged from the department. The assailant, Officer Brian Hewitt was discharged from the department. A civil settlement awarded, Jimenez $231,000 in damages for the incident.

I am currently working on investigating cases related to Lynwood Vikings, Compton Police, and LAPD Rampart Division during the 80’s and 90’s. Two recent convictions of Compton Police Officers for drug trafficking and money laundering give us grounds to look into their cases as well as the other corrupt cops that were convicted in Rampart or with the Sheriff’s Vikings.

Michael Carlin has created a gripping true crime podcast that dives deep into the most haunting, unsolved, and shocking cases from around the world. Hosted by veteran filmmaker journalist and author Michael Douglas Carlin, each episode meticulously reconstructs infamous crimes — from cold-blooded murders and mysterious disappearances to elaborate cons and decades-old cover-ups — blending chilling narration, exclusive interviews, archival audio, and careful analysis of evidence.

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