Former Desert Hot Springs cop admits roughing up boys, receives probation
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-cop who roughed up two boys while arresting them after they fled an alleged burglary at the campus of Desert Hot Springs High School pleaded guilty today to misdemeanor charges and was immediately sentenced to 12 months’ probation and community service.
Johnny Acosta, 31, on Tuesday admitted charges of gun assault, filing a false report and assault by a peace officer under a pretrial agreement. It was not immediately clear whether the plea was straight to the court, or negotiated with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. The charges were originally felonies, but court records showed that as part of the plea bargain, all counts were reduced to misdemeanors.
During Tuesday’s hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Superior Court Judge Susanne Cho certified the terms and imposed the yearlong sentence of probation, as well as 100 hours of community service, to be completed through an area nonprofit organization.
The Department of Probation will also make a determination as to potential victim compensation, records showed.
Acosta was arrested in November 2025 following a Riverside County Force Investigations Detail Task Force probe into the acts involving excessive use of force.
Acosta posted a $30,000 bond and was released from custody the same day.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, shortly before 2 a.m. Nov. 8, 2024, Desert Hot Springs Police Department patrol units were sent to the high school on Pierson Boulevard to investigate a possible break-in.
Acosta was among the patrolmen who encountered four male suspects fleeing the location when the officers approached, prosecutors said.
The defendant pursued one 17-year-old boy, resulting in the first act of excessive force, then went after another 17-year-old, culminating in the second instance of heavy-handedness, according to investigators.
The youths were ultimately taken into custody without incident, and there was no indication that either suffered injuries that necessitated medical treatment.
The specific actions on the part of the defendant weren’t disclosed, and there was no word regarding damage to the campus during the reported burglary.
Acosta was placed on administrative leave, after which an internal investigation was initiated that led to his dismissal from the police department on March 27, 2025.
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