SAN JOSE -- Isaac Jones filed a federal complaint on August 4 in the Northern District of California against the County of San Mateo County, James Salomaa, Nicholas Janakos and Dennis Loubal for alleged failure to protect.
According to the complaint, Jones was a detainee in the custody of San Mateo County’s Sheriff’s Office. On August 5, 2019, Jones alleges that Defendants failed to protect Jones from a brutal and foreseeable attack by a man twice his size, Alan Joseph Marquez, who Defendants were aware had a recent history of unprovoked attacks on people who were in the custody of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Marquez had committed multiple recent unprovoked attacks on fellow prisoners on days he had court, including two other attacks since June of 2019 which had resulted in criminal charges, the suit claims.
Jones alleges that Salomaa placed Marquez and Jones into a cell together and knew that Marquez was a serious threat to Jones’ safety. Video shows that within 30 seconds of Marquez and Jones being put together in the holding cell, Marquez attacked Jones as he was sitting on the bench, striking him multiple times in the head, face and neck.
Jones fell to the ground in the fetal position, the suit says. Marquez used a sharpened toothbrush as a weapon and attacked Jones with the shank, using a stabbing motion, striking him in the head, neck and back, the suit says.
As Jones lay in the fetal position with his hands and arms trying to protect his face and neck from being stabbed, Marquez viciously stomped his head, then kicked his head, the suit says.
Salomaa heard the altercation, so he and Sergeant Dennis Loubal responded to the cell. Salomaa saw Marquez on top of Jones, pulled the back of Marquez’s shirt and pulled him away from Jones to the other side of the cell, the suit says. Jones had visible injuries due to the attack, and Marquez was arrested for the attempted murder of Jones.
Jones is represented by Sarah E. Marinho.
U.S. District Court Northern District of California case number 3:21-cv-06017-JSC