> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.santanero.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Public records identify Santa Ana officers in recorded beating, both with histories of use-of-force incidents - URL: https://www.santanero.org/news/lopez-arrest/2026/10/23/public-records-identify-santa-ana-officers-in-recorded-beating-both-with-histories-of-use-of-force-incidents/ - Published: 2026-10-23T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T17:47:44.000Z - Description: Newly obtained police records identify two officers linked to previous serious use-of-force incidents among dozens of personnel who responded to the Oct. 1 arrest of Florentino Lopez. - Author: Daniel Diaz - Tags: Lopez Arrest, #story-navigation, #nav: Officers Identified, #order: 03, #Santa Ana Police, Santa Ana Police, #SAPD \[reporting: Santa Ana, Calif.\] Newly obtained Santa Ana Police Department records confirm the identities of two officers named in the case involving the recorded beating of Florentino Lopez. An official [SAPD incident history report](https://www.santanero.org/content/files/2026/10/261000559%5F10.1.26%5FUOF%5FRedacted.pdf) obtained by The Santanero identifies Luis M. Casillas and Marco A. Benavides among 38 personnel associated with the Oct. 1, 2026 encounter. The report also provides a timeline of the police response. According to the document, 27 personnel arrived within 10 minutes of the encounter, followed by seven more within 30 minutes. Two additional personnel appear later in the report, while 23 were cleared from the incident within approximately half an hour. The identification of Casillas and Benavides provides a clearer picture of the officers' histories with SAPD, including their involvement in previous use-of-force incidents. ### The recorded beating of Lopez ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b2/2d/b22d46f7-884a-4c5a-83bf-6b895a900041/content/images/2026/10/image-4.png) **Stillframes from the original videoed police beating of Florentino Lopez on Oct. 1, 2026\. (Alex Lopez)* The [viral cellphone video](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeNG3tHsIZH/?ref=santanero.org) shows officers behind Lopez as he is faced down on a hood a police vehicle. Words are exchanged and Casillas is seen taking Lopez down and repeatedly striking Lopez, with Benavidez knee striking, while Lopez remained on the ground. Relatives are heard pleading for officers to stop. The video does not show the moments before the takedown. Body camera footage was requested in The Santanero's public records request, but has not been released as of publication. According to a [probable cause declaration](https://www.santanero.org/content/files/2026/10/PC-Declaration---2026-10-06T135544.169%5FRedacted.pdf)—a document used to establish facts of a crime that may yield a parole or probation hold and subsequent charges or bail—signed by Casillas, Lopez "began to fight with officers and clenching his fist." #### From the PC Declaration "On 10-01-26, at approximately 2235 hours, while in the area of 300 N. Jackson Street in the city of Santa Ana, County of Orange. I detained arrestee Florentino Lopez who was smoking marijuana in public in violation of HS 11362.3(1) and is a known probationer. While detaining Lopez, Lopez began to fight with officers. Lopez began kicking officers and clenching his fist. Officers sustained bruising, minor scrapes and localized pain to their knees and hands. Lopez was identified via his DMV photo and prior booking photos." Criminal charges against Lopez were subsequently dismissed, and the Orange County Probation Department declined to pursue a related probation violation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b2/2d/b22d46f7-884a-4c5a-83bf-6b895a900041/content/images/2026/10/DSC04681.JPG) **Mural of Noe Rodriguez Martinez in Downtown Santa Ana. (Daniel Diaz/The Santanero)* Casillas was involved in two fatal police shootings approximately one month apart, beginning with the Dec. 1, 2024, [death of Noe Rodriguez](https://www.santanero.org/news/local/2026/07/29/state-report-concludes-investigation-into-fatal-santa-ana-police-shooting-of-noe-rodriguez/) near Broadway and First Street. Casillas and Officer Isaac Ibarra encountered Rodriguez after reports of a man carrying what appeared to be a shotgun. According to a [California Department of Justice investigation](https://www.santanero.org/content/files/2026/07/2026%5F07%5FRodriguez%5FAB1506%5FReport.pdf), Rodriguez did not comply with officers' commands to drop the apparent weapon and appeared to raise it toward them. Casillas fired 18 rounds and Ibarra fired 11 during an approximately six-second exchange. Investigators later determined Rodriguez had been carrying a plastic replica shotgun. The DOJ also documented that officers waited approximately seven minutes before approaching Rodriguez and deployed two less-lethal rounds before taking him into custody. Medical assistance was not provided until approximately 13 minutes after the shooting. In July 2026, the DOJ declined to pursue criminal charges against the officers, finding insufficient evidence to establish criminal liability. However, the agency recommended that SAPD address firearms training and bystander safety, the use of less-lethal weapons against incapacitated individuals, and the timely provision of medical assistance following shootings. Shortly after the DOJ's report was released, The Santanero inquired SAPD about the recommendations and did not hear back. One month later, Casillas was involved in another fatal encounter. On Jan. 1, 2025, Casillas shot [Henry Gonzalez Jr.](https://youtu.be/v8-8N5yXZA4?si=6VZcrsWdXUHJuHOo&ref=santanero.org) during a reported hostage situation involving Gonzalez's mother. Authorities said Gonzalez was holding his mother at knifepoint when Casillas fired, striking Gonzalez in the head. Gonzalez died three days later. The Orange County District Attorney's Office subsequently [determined](https://www.santanero.org/content/files/2026/10/Gonzalez-Henry-SAPD-SA-26-000001-Final-Letter-with-all-signatures-4-20-26.pdf) the shooting was legally justified. According to court records, both deaths became the subjects of separate federal civil rights lawsuits naming Casillas and the City of Santa Ana as defendants. ### Involvement in June 2025 arrest of teen Casillas and Benavides were involved in another police encounter that resulted in a juvenile robbery suspect receiving hospital treatment. In his [supplemental report](https://publicdocs.santa-ana.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=553211&dbid=1&repo=Clerk&searchid=2f4f08a2-6ca1-4ada-b3ff-2007bd567a0e&ref=santanero.org) derived from the City's laserfiche portal, Benavides documented striking the suspect's head three times with his knee, followed by briefly pressing his knee against the suspect's head as other officers completed the arrest. He justified the strikes by describing the suspect as resisting and reaching toward his waistband before being searched. Casillas's documented involvement was different. A [forensic investigation report](https://publicdocs.santa-ana.org/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=553215&dbid=1&repo=Clerk&searchid=f7dc467c-b570-4883-8134-4d09ab1d79aa&ref=santanero.org) places him at the scene and records his instructions to collect a pellet gun and a handgun as evidence. It does not attribute physical force against the juvenile to Casillas. The same report describes the suspect's condition at Orange County Global Medical Center, where a forensic specialist observed blood on his clothing, hands and face, swelling on one side of his face, and visible facial injuries. According to [The Orange County Register](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/10/12/santa-ana-officers-in-viral-arrest-video-have-faced-scrutiny-over-force-before-records-show/?ref=santanero.org), a 2025 personal damages claim filed against the city by Carrazco Law, representing the teenager and his family, alleged that the 15-year-old suffered broken ribs, a punctured lung, and pain in his abdomen, chest and back. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/b2/2d/b22d46f7-884a-4c5a-83bf-6b895a900041/content/images/2026/10/DSC09989-1.JPG) Police Chief Robert Rodriguez speaking during a City Council meeting on Apr. 21, 2026\. (Daniel Diaz/The Santanero) The officers' histories have taken on renewed significance following the recorded encounter with Lopez, which prompted public scrutiny of SAPD's use-of-force practices during both City Council meetings in October. The City Council authorized an independent investigation reporting directly to councilmembers, while a separate outside administrative review is examining whether officers violated department policies.