LAPD officer charged with filing false report in 2019 arrest of motorist
A Los Angeles police officer has been criminally charged with filing a false report under the penalty of perjury in a 2019 arrest of a motorist in Hollywood, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Prosecutors alleged that Officer Alejandro Castillo, 49, lied when he reported stopping the motorist after observing the driver “conduct an unsafe turn ... nearly causing an accident,” court records show.
“We depend on law enforcement officers to tell the truth, especially when failure to do so jeopardizes another person’s liberty,” Dist. Atty. George Gascón said in a statement.
Castillo was set to be arraigned Tuesday, officials said. He could not be reached for comment.
The LAPD said Castillo’s body-camera video was inconsistent with his written report. He has been stripped of his police powers, and the department is cooperating with prosecutors, it said.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore called the allegations “extremely troubling.”
After the stop, the motorist was given a sobriety test and arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Gascón’s office. However, charges were never filed against the driver, who was not named.
Prosecutors did not say how the alleged false statement came to their attention. They said the incident remains under investigation by LAPD internal affairs.
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