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SECOND LASD Officer Involved in Suit Against Department Claiming Retaliation

Two officers from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department filed claims recently against LASD for “retaliation” related to their actions in the Malibu Creek State Park Shootings case. 

Lt. Jim Royal, whose claim made headlines last month, says the actions of the department are directly associated with his requests made to a high ranking officer to warn the public about a series of shootings in and around the area of Malibu Creek State Park in early 2017.

Sargeant Tui Wright, the former head of Malibu Search Rescue Team at Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department, was the second officer to file a claim against LASD for “retaliation”, the same day as Lt. Royal, June 6th, 2019. Wright’s claims are also associated with the the Malibu Creek State Park Shootings case, and names former Sheriff Jim McDonnell in his complaint. Incidentally, major news media did not report on Wright’s claim, or that McDonnell was named in the claim.

Royal’s claims against LASD were circulated widely by media outlets in a seemingly high powered PR move which also primes him to be a star witness in the $90 million dollar lawsuit filed by Tristan Beaudette’s widow, Erica Wu, against LASD and the state.

Lt. Jim Royal, far right, at the Public Safety Meeting August, 19th, 2018.

The night Beaudette was discovered murdered, The Local Malibu posted a warning on our Facebook page that a Tesla was shot in the hood 4 days before Beaudette was found dead, at approximately the same time as the murder, just outside the Malibu Creek State Park. 

The next day, victims of previous shootings told their harrowing stories on our Facebook thread, and the cover-up by law enforcement and State Parks was exposed.

Upon reviewing the documents filed by the officers, and conferring with sources inside law enforcement, it is clear the claims made by Royal and Wright are more of a result of a power play, and the militaristic rank and file gone rogue at LASD, rather than retaliation for their attempts to warn the public of the shootings that spanned over a two year time period.

Royal and Sgt. Wright are collateral damage resulting from the $90 million suit, and the targets in a macho pissing contest, which largely has to do with the corruption throughout the department under former Sheriff Jim McDonell. 

In fact, last May, shortly before Beaudette’s murder, McDonnell sent out this inner department memo warning LASD staff not to release sensitve information. McDonnell was in heavy campaign mode, and wanted to make sure nothing stood in the way of his political wheels being greased.

Lt. Royal maintained his rank and overtime benefits throughout the shootings, including after his interactions with Chief Benedict, where he requested to release information about the shootings, and was subsequently “shut down”.

Incidentally, Chief Benedict, who has since taken early retirement, attended the “Public Safety Meeting” regarding the shootings, hosted by Senator Henry Stern, on August 19th, 2018. Benedict sat in the front row, in plain clothes, overseeing Lt. Royal, and making sure he stayed on script as he fielded questions from the press and concerned community members.

Lt. Royal did in fact stay on script, and continued to do so right until his attorney filed the claim against the department, six months after being demoted, tranferred, and the subject of internal affairs investigations. Sources tell The Local Malibu Lt. Royal is also the subject of a second investigation involving his actions during the Woolsey Fire.

Long after the shootings were exposed, and reported by global news media, both Lt. Royal and Sgt. Wright attempted to keep new reports of shots fired under wraps, including attempting to bully members of the news media who reported them. A reporter for a national news outlet I work with almost went to blows with Lt. Royal over releasing important information in the shootings, none of which would have interfered with the investigation by any means.

Lt. Royal and Sgt. Wright also engaged in acts of intimidation against me personally, when I reported on the Carbon Canyon incident last September, before Anthony Rauda was arrested.

The cover-up of incidents of shots fired after the murder of Beaudette, by Sgt. Wright and Lt. Royal in the Malibu Creek State Park Shootings investigation, could very well have been under Chief Benedict’s orders. However, the abuse of power and attempting suppress information has been an on-going issue at LASD under Sheriff Jim McDonnell. The department was famous for their lack of transparency before the new regime took over in January. Sheriff Alex Villanueva has made a noticeable difference in the department’s interaction with the press specifically, but it is evident McDonnell loyalists have their foothold at LASD HQ, and Villanueva has a way to go before he has that situation under his control.

A little over a month after Wu filed the lawsuit triggering the Internal Affairs investigations of Sgt. Wright and Lt Royal, Wright sent out an email to his “troops” at Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department announcing that he, and Lt. Royal, were under investigation. His email explained the process was “administrative only and not criminal”.

After the Internal Investigations and transfers were leaked, I communicated with one of the officers involved who stated the Internal Investigations specifically involved the day Rauda was arrested, and went on to  say “What we did was not as bad as what they did.” referring to the actions of Detectives at LASD Headquarters.

He refused to go into further detail  in light of the ongoing investigation.

However, according to Wright’s claim, he “uncovered important evidence against Rauda” and was retaliated against for disclosing that information. Similarly, Royal claims he is being retaliated for “conducting his own investigation” in the shootings, which his lawyer patently denies. 

These claims further substantiate the back stabbing behavior at LASD, exposing even more aspects of the dark side of law enforcement, which has been a problem for decades. Under former Sheriff McDonnell, and his enabling of this corrosive environment, it created the lowest morale in the history of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. 

With lawsuits pending, the knives continue to fly at LASD headquarters – especially in the Malibu Creek State Park Shootings case. It seems at least two of those knives landed in the backs of Lt.Royal and Sgt. Wright.

The Current Report Editor in Chief Cece Woods started The Local Malibu, an activism based platform in 2014. The publication was instrumental in the success of pro-preservation ballot measures and seating five top vote-getters in the Malibu City Council elections.

During the summer of 2018, Woods exposed the two-year law enforcement cover-up in the Malibu Creek State Park Shootings, and a few short months later provided the most comprehensive local news coverage during the Woolsey Fire attracting over one million hits across her social media platforms.

Since 2020, Woods was the only journalist reporting on the on-going public corruption involving former L.A. Metro CEO Phil Washington. Woods worked with Political Corruption expert Adam Loew, DC Watchdog organizations and leaders in the Capitol exposing Washington which ultimately led to the withdrawal of his nomination to head the FAA.

Woods also founded Malibu based 90265 Magazine and Cali Mag devoted to the authentic southern California lifestyle.

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