A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Academy recruit is under investigation after allegedly attempting to break into a Lynwood home and later pulling a gun on the homeowner.
The incident occurred on a Saturday night when the victim heard someone trying to open the front door knob of his residence. The homeowner stepped outside to investigate and found a man standing on the sidewalk. When the victim asked, “What are you doing?”, the suspect brandished a firearm and pointed it at the victim’s chest before fleeing the scene in a gray Dodge Charger.
The victim was able to capture a photo of the suspect’s license plate and provided a description to investigators. Detectives pulled registration information and conducted a six-pack lineup, in which the victim positively identified the suspect.
Detectives then tracked the suspect’s phone pings and found that he was regularly at Stars Center, the LASD training academy, between 05:00 and 16:00 during the week. Further inquiries confirmed that the suspect was an LASD recruit, 14 weeks into the academy.
This revelation has added to growing concerns about LASD’s hiring and vetting process, especially after the recent arrest of a Transit Services Bureau for rape, domestic violence, and false imprisonment.
With two recruits now under investigation in separate criminal incidents, questions are being raised about whether LASD is adequately screening candidates before bringing them into the academy.
The LASD recruit in the Lynwood incident is under investigation, however, authorities have not yet confirmed if he has been arrested or terminated from the academy.
This is a developing story.
