Christopher Bailey lost sight in one eye after Los Angeles deputies struck him 86 times — sparking a $4.75 million taxpayer payout

A California driver was pulled from his car and beaten by six sheriff’s deputies during a traffic stop, according to a federal lawsuit.

Christopher Bailey was driving home from work in Inglewood when deputies stopped his vehicle, court documents state.

On May 4, 2020, two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies pulled the motorist over for allegedly straddling the road’s lanes, the lawsuit states.

The deputies pulled him from his car and allegedly began to assault him without warning, according to the complaint.

Within minutes, four additional deputies arrived at the scene and joined in, the lawsuit alleges.

The arriving deputies allegedly kicked the driver as he lay on the ground, according to the complaint.

Neither deputy at the scene was wearing a body camera during the incident, according to court filings.

Sheriff’s department patrol units did not carry body cameras at the time, records show.

The only existing footage was recorded by two bystanders who arrived after overhearing radio chatter, the lawsuit states.

The two bystanders were “police watchers” who began recording on their own, according to the complaint. Without them, there would be no record of what occurred.

Bailey was struck between 64 and 86 times across his body and face, his attorneys said.

Between 35 and 44 of those blows landed on the motorist’s face alone, his legal team stated.

Bailey did not appear combative in the bystander video, prosecutors who later reviewed the footage noted.

The driver suffered severe and permanent injuries during the encounter, according to court documents. Bailey lost sight in one eye, had teeth knocked out, and suffered facial fractures.

In the aftermath, Bailey was charged with three felony counts of resisting arrest and two misdemeanor marijuana offenses, court records show. None of the deputies faced initial charges.

The criminal charges filed against the driver were later dropped, according to court records.

The six deputies involved denied any wrongdoing, according to their court filings.

The District Attorney’s office subsequently declined to pursue criminal charges against any of the deputies, records show.

Whether any of the six deputies ever faced internal disciplinary action was never made clear, according to records.

In September 2023, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a $4.75 million settlement for Bailey. Not one cent came from the deputies, with the settlement paid entirely by taxpayers.