LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three more Los Angeles police officers have been charged with falsifying information on field interview cards.
The charges mean a total of six officers have been accused in the growing gang-labeling scandal.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the charges Friday, alleging that the officers falsified information used to enter the names of people they had stopped on the street into a statewide gang database, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“In all three cases, the defendants are accused of writing on the card that a person admitted to being a gang member, even though body-worn camera video showed the defendants either never asked the individuals about their gang membership, or the individuals denied gang membership if they were asked,” Lacey’s office said.
Officer Rene Braga is charged with filing a false police report and preparing false evidence. Officers Raul Uribe and Julio Garcia have each been charged with preparing false documentary evidence.
The officers could not immediately be reached for comment by the Times on Friday, and it was not immediately clear if they had attorneys. The alleged incidents occurred in 2018.
The three are set to be arraigned in February 2021. Braga faces up to three years and eight months in prison. Uribe and Garcia both face up to three years in prison.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.