Glendale Officer Accused of Kicking Shoplifting Suspect Faces Assault Charge

A Glendale police officer was charged June 3 with a felony count of assault for allegedly kicking a juvenile shoplifting suspect in the head during a struggle nearly three years ago at the Glendale Galleria, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said. Gonzalo Zendejas, 39, is facing one count of assault by a public officer involving the June 5, 2021, incident, as police tried to detain the juvenile, according to prosecutors. An arraignment date has not been set for Zendejas. In a statement released shortly after the case was announced, the Glendale Police Department said the filing stemmed from a struggle with one of the shoplifting suspects who resisted when officers tried to detain him inside a store, and that “officers used force to subdue the male and arrested him.”...