First LA official sentenced in handcuffed jail visitor's beating

LOS ANGELES -- A former Los Angeles County Sheriff's sergeant was sentenced to prison on Monday for encouraging deputies to beat a handcuffed man in jail, CBS Los Angeles reports.

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Eric Gonzalez, 49, was ordered to spend eight years in federal prison and then another three on supervised release.

U.S. District Judge George King said Gonzalez, a 15-year-veteran of the department, "abused his authority and corrupted the very system he was sworn to uphold."

Gonzalez was taken into custody immediately after sentencing, according to the Los Angeles station.

In June, a jury found Gonzalez and deputies Sussie Ayala and Fernando Luviano guilty of beating jail visitor Gabriel Carrillo in 2011.

The attack occurred on Feb. 26, after Carrillo, violated jail regulations by bringing a cell phone into the Men's Central Jail while visiting his brother, according to the station.

Gonzalez, Ayala and Luviano then conspired to lie about the beating.

Ayala and Luviano are scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 30.

Two former deputies, Neal Womack and Pantamitr Zunggeemoge, have also pleaded guilty to the assault and are awaiting sentencing.

Byron Dredd, the sixth former deputy charged in the case, was indicted on federal charges in October for his alleged involvement in falsifying the reports.