Los Angeles firefighters Jason Powell and Freddy Escobar have a history, and on Friday that apparently led to an altercation at their union’s headquarters.
Powell, the treasurer of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, said former union president Escobar showed up to a union board meeting while on-duty. After the meeting was over, words were exchanged, and Powell said Escobar punched him in the groin. Powell said he reported the incident to police and that he planned to seek medical care.
Escobar denied that he punched Powell, saying there was “no fight, nothing other than voices.”
“Not my style,” he said in a text message when asked about the punch.
Los Angeles police officers received a radio call about 11 a.m. about a battery at the 1500 block of Beverly Boulevard, said Officer Alondra Garcia. She didn’t have further details.
LAFD spokesperson Stephanie Bishop said the matter was referred to the agency’s Professional Standards Division for an internal investigation. “LAFD takes these matters seriously and will follow the established investigative and review processes,” she said.
Union president Doug Coates declined to comment, citing the active investigation. Coates said he didn’t see what happened.
In a letter to Powell Friday, Escobar’s attorney, Delia Ibarra, demanded that Powell stop repeating the accusation and withdraw his complaint.
“Mr. Escobar will not tolerate fabricated allegations designed to destroy his reputation, jeopardize his employment, or provide a pretext for expelling him from the union he has served and represented for years,” Ibarra wrote.
Powell and Escobar have been at odds before.
Escobar and two other union leaders were suspended from their positions last year after Powell raised concerns about board members’ financial record keeping and use of funds. An investigation by the International Assn. of Fire Fighters, the local union’s parent organization, found that $800,000 in credit card purchases were not properly documented.
After an internal trial, the IAFF retained some charges against Escobar. They included failure to provide full and accurate accounting, conduct detrimental to the IAFF and unbecoming conduct. The most serious charges — which included incompetence, negligence and failure of duty — were dismissed.
The firefighter’s union had called a special meeting on Friday morning to discuss spending an additional $3 million on the campaign for Measure FD, the half-cent sales tax measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. Powell said Escobar showed up to Friday’s meeting on-duty, with his crew on a fire engine, and called some board members incompetent.
Powell said the board approved the Measure FD spending, and afterward Powell said he and Escobar exchanged words.
He said Escobar told him to stop working overtime — an apparent reference to the practice of union officers picking up overtime shifts for extra pay on top of their union stipends. Powell, in turn, said he told Escobar to shave his mustache and leave the building.
Powell said he then asked Escobar if he had shown up to write the union a check. “He turned around and punched me” in the groin. Powell said three or four other people witnessed the incident, which caused him to keel over.
Escobar didn’t provide his version of the exchange, beyond saying he didn’t throw a punch.