Opinion ID: 694871
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Summary judgment for bystanding deputies.

Text: 11 Assuming, without deciding, that the officers who came into physical contact with Albiso used excessive force against him, we hold that the district court correctly ruled in favor of the other deputies at the scene on the issue of excessive force. While an officer may be liable for wilfully refusing to act in the face of ongoing assaults by fellow officers (or others) upon a custodial detainee, United States v. Reese, 2 F.3d 870, 888-90 (9th Cir. 1993), cert. denied, 114 S. Ct. 928 (1994), the bystanding officer's duty to protect is operative only when the officer is aware of a specific risk of harm to the plaintiff and has time and opportunity to intervene. Ting v. United States, 927 F.2d 1504, 1511-12 (9th Cir. 1991); see also Reese, 2 F.3d at 890. Because there is no evidence that the bystanding officers had time or opportunity to intervene, or reason to anticipate a specific risk of harm to Albiso, we hold that they are not liable to Albiso for any injuries he may have sustained. We therefore affirm the district court's ruling of summary judgment in their favor. 12