Ex-LAPD officer charged in perjury case was fired, chief says
A current Los Angeles police officer and a former officer charged with perjury and filing a false report engaged in actions "entirely unacceptable" and were "extremely misguided," Chief Charlie Beck said Wednesday night.
One officer has been terminated, the chief said, and the other is facing termination.
Craig Allen, 39, and Phillip Walters, 56, turned themselves in to authorities at the downtown criminal courthouse after arrest warrants were issued, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said earlier Wednesday.
The two ex-motorcycle officers were on patrol on Sept. 4, 2010, when they were sent to help another officer who had stopped a drunk driving suspect, according to prosecutors. The officers allegedly arrived at the scene 15 minutes later, but Allen stated in a written report that he had made the stop himself after witnessing the driver disregard two stop signs, the district attorney's office said in a statement.
Walters then allegedly testified months later at a hearing that he had been with Allen at the time of the traffic stop and had also observed the driver fail to stop.
"I am truly saddened by the events that led to the perjury charges pending against two of my officers," Beck said in a statement. "I do not believe that their intent was evil, just extremely misguided."
The chief said one of the officers was terminated after the LAPD launched an internal investigation. The other is facing termination at an administrative hearing, according to the statement.
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