American released to more than 10 years in prison after jury alleges witnesses lied, reports local media

A man has been released from prison after spending more than 10 years in prison in a case for which he was not guilty. It turned out that the witness in the case had lied and the 34-year-old was released, the Long Beach Post reported.

Miguel Vargas was sentenced to 39 years in prison in 2011 for assaulting a police officer.

According to the man’s testimony, after an incident in Central Long Beach, Vargas fled from Dider Reyes and his companion. The two policemen shot him in the back.

Vargas had recovered from his injuries and had been in prison for more than a decade when Reyes and another Long Beach officer were accused of lying in a police report telling how they managed to recover a handgun from prison in 2018.

General view of Long Beach, California (USA) – Photo: Jae C. Hong / AP

On this basis, Vargas’ attorney asked the jury to review the conviction, because the only witness who heard (Reyes) lost confidence in police officers after he lied in a report.

“In this case, there was one witness to the alleged assault, and that witness has now been indicted in a criminal complaint for perjury and forging a police report,” Los Angeles Deputy Attorney General Lara Bazan wrote. Court summary.

Oscar Vargas, Vargas’ brother, said the family was looking forward to meeting Miguel who had a He was only 22 years old when he went to prison.

Reyes, a 16-year-old veteran, was fired from his job at the Long Beach Police Department. It has been the subject of dozens of complaints over the years.