Detained in April 2021, a case unfolded around a brutal attack in the Valencia County Court that aimed to kill a police officer. The central figure, the head of the Central Guard Inspection at the Zapadores police complex, claimed legitimate defense. The defendant, insisting that everything reported was false, faced potential consequences as prosecutors pressed for a fifteen-and-a-half-year prison term, a sentence that could be reduced to six years under a negotiated agreement. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]
Footage from the dungeons of the Valencia ICG clearly shows the severity of the assault. The officer involved, Abu S., a Guinean-born police officer, said he had fallen asleep and claimed the victim had kicked him first. According to Abu S., he did not retaliate to those kicks. He was previously arrested for another injury case, specifically for breaking another person’s jaw. At one moment in the testimony, he asserted that he believed his life was in danger and that he had merely defended himself. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]
The defense argued that the purported self-defense was misinterpreted and in some moments the detainee insulted the officers present. The officers had entered the cell to assess whether things had calmed down when the detainee directed insults at them. One such remark involved the detainee threatening the officers with harsh language over their gender and appearance. These insults have been cited by prosecutors as aggravating factors based on gender discrimination. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]
He got angry for waking her up.
The initial disturbance that bothered the accused was the moment an officer opened the door and pulled another prisoner from the cell while the suspect slept. The accused claimed he was not insulting anyone, only trying to understand why the door was malfunctioning, and then he felt humiliated. The authorities noted that the detainee’s behavior escalated rapidly after the disturbance, and the victim recalls losing consciousness due to the blows. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]
The court heard that the detainee did not enter the cell alone; his behavior suggested a level of violence that required a different handling approach. The officer testified from behind a protective barrier, explaining that the detainee’s insults were part of a broader pattern of aggression that day. The victim described how the attacker approached the bed and pulled back the blanket to reveal his face, an act that left the officer with little memory of the ensuing events because consciousness faded after sustained blows. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]
Suddenly and without warning, the detainee reacted with a brutal punch, and the officer could not mount an effective defense. Prosecutors argued this could amount to attempted murder, noting that if not for the intervention of fellow detainees, the officer would have been killed on that April day in 2021. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]
The aftermath was severe. The 33-year-old officer suffered head injuries, facial fractures, and jaw damage that required surgical repair. Vision in the left eye deteriorated, with retinal lesions and lasting sequelae, underscoring the gravity of the assault. A second officer who came to assist the first was also injured. In addition to attempted murder, charges included assault and injuries to an official. The Public Prosecutor’s Office sought sentences of up to 15 and a half years, reflecting the seriousness of the crimes and the impact on the officers and their families. [Citation: Valencia County Court records, 2021]