A Los Angeles Police Department officer was arrested Thursday in connection with charges that he tampered with evidence and stole items during traffic and pedestrian stops last year, authorities said.
Alan Carrillo — who joined the LAPD in 2018 and was assigned to the department’s Mission Area Gang Enforcement Detail — was allegedly discovered to have seized contraband from people who had been detained, and allegedly concealed or destroyed the evidence, according to a statement released by the LAPD.
According to the department, the discovery was made during a series of investigations initiated by the Internal Affairs Division into conduct of members of the Mission Area Gang Enforcement Detail, following a complaint that two uniformed LAPD officers searched a resident’s vehicle without consent.
Investigators discovered a “pattern of officers intentionally failing to properly document traffic stops or activate body-worn cameras,” according to the LAPD’s statement.
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Carrillo was relieved of his police powers pending the outcome of the department’s administrative investigation, according to the LAPD.
“I am extremely concerned (that) an officer broke public trust and violated the fundamental principles of professional policing, and I will ensure there is accountability,” LAPD Chief Dominic Choi said in the statement. “The department will continue to fully cooperate with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in this matter.”
The 31-year-old officer was charged with two counts of altering, planting or concealing evidence as a peace officer and three counts of petty theft, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors allege that Carrillo took personal items, including knives and metal brass knuckles, from people during pedestrian and traffic stops on April 19, 2023, and June 15, 2023, but the items were never accounted for and he was inconsistent while documenting the items in his reports.
“The public’s trust and the integrity of law enforcement are undermined when officers tamper with evidence and steal items from the public,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement announcing the charges. “Police officers are entrusted with upholding justice and protecting our communities, and any breach of that trust is unacceptable. Our office is committed to holding Mr. Carrillo accountable for his actions so we can restore the public’s trust in law enforcement.”
No arraignment date has been set yet for Carrillo.
He could face up to seven years and six months in state prison if convicted as charged, according to the District Attorney’s Office.