Gascon failed to protect the community from Raymundo Duran

Posted at h in Gascon Must Go, Victim Stories by GasconMustGo

There are so many ways that Gascon failed to protect the community from Raymundo Duran, the longtime gang member who shot Deputy Samuel Aispuro in the back in West Covina last month.

This thread is based on a review of court records from three counties dating back more than 25 years. My conclusion: Duran is a dangerous man who should not have been on the streets to shoot Deputy Aispuro.

On July 8, 2021, Duran committed a hit-and-run, resisted arrest, and led police on a dangerous, televised pursuit. Police were forced to intentionally crash into his car to disable it. Duran fled on foot, but officers caught and arrested him. https://ktla.com/news/authorities-in-pursuit-of-vehicle-in-covina-area/

At the time, Duran was a four-time convicted felon wanted for a parole violation. He also was a known gang member with a rap sheet filled with red flags.

In 1996, Duran was convicted of domestic violence and sentenced to probation with four months in jail.

On May 17, 2002, Duran was sentenced to 11 years in prison for manslaughter for stabbing to death his boss at a Jiffy Lube in Azusa. Before accepting a plea bargain, Duran had claimed he was acting in self-defense. https://www.sgvtribune.com/2024/04/29/suspect-in-west-covina-deputy-shooting-killed-his-boss-in-azusa-in-2001/

On April 15, 2003, during his first year in state prison, Duran committed a felony battery against a guard identified as “Officer T. Madrid” at Salinas Valley State Prison. He pleaded no contest in Monterey County Superior Court on July 9, 2003, to battery upon a correctional officer, and was sentenced to four additional years in prison.

On Nov. 9, 2009, Duran stabbed another prisoner with a jail-made knife, commonly referred to as a “shank,” at a prison in Imperial County. He later pleaded guilty to assaulting a prisoner in a manner likely to cause great bodily injury, and was sentenced to another four years in state prison to be served on top of his other sentences.

Duran was released from prison on parole and returned to Los Angeles County. He violated parole and a warrant was issued.

Because of Duran’s dangerous history, Gascon could have sought a prison sentence after Duran’s arrest for the 2021 police chase. Instead, Duran was given probation in a plea bargain.

This is standard for Gascon, who has made it clear he wants his deputies to pursue probation whenever it’s available. Duran had faced up to six years in prison for this case. A veteran prosecutor later described this plea bargain as “atrocious.”

On Feb. 26, 2022, law enforcement officers arrested Duran for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Again, Gascon’s team agreed to a plea bargain, with Duran receiving 2 years, 4 months instead of the maximum 6 years, which he would have been serving on the day he shot Deputy Aispuro.

When you have a gang member with a manslaughter on his record; who assaulted a prison guard; who stabbed another inmate; who violated parole after his release; who evaded police in a televised chase; who then gets arrested with a loaded firearm; that’s a time for a real DA to step in, not another Gascon deal.

The Duran case is yet another example of how Gascon is failing to protect the public from dangerous criminals by implementing blanket pro-criminal policies instead of following the evidence and the law and striving every day to protect the public.

Sadly, this is just one of many failures by Gascon. Two years ago, El Monte police officers Joseph Santana, 31, and Michael Paredes, 42, were ambushed and killed by an ex-convict named Justin Flores who would have been in prison at the time if Gascon had correctly prosecuted his prior case.

With Gascon in charge, the public is not safe and law enforcement’s job is far more dangerous than it should be. It’s time for a change.

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