Agent Luis Alfredo Mota was accused of robbery while serving a search warrant
The agent had his gun and LAPD credentials taken from him.
Photo: Aurelia Ventura / La Opinion
A Los Angeles police officer was charged Thursday with stealing money from the backpack of an employee who worked at a warehouse where a search operation was taking place last January, the Los Angeles County Attorney’s Office reported.
The institution indicated in a statement that the official Luis Alfredo Mota, 46, from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), You will be indicted on one felony charge of second degree robbery and one misdemeanor theft charge.
According to the indictment, Mota was on duty and helping to fulfill a search warrant at a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, where there was apparently an illegal marijuana cultivation. when he allegedly stole money from an employee’s backpack on January 27.
The crime was discovered after the worker noticed that money was missing from her personal backpack.
The woman notified an LAPD supervisor upon discovering the theft, and a review of closed-circuit cameras led investigators to “believe that Officer Mota had taken cash from the worker’s backpack,” according to a statement from the police force issued in January.
Mota’s LAPD badge, weapon and identification were removed when he was detained, and the Department’s Internal Affairs Group was notified, according to the statement, and was sent to his home pending the outcome of the administrative and criminal investigations.
“No employee of this Department is above the law and we will not tolerate anyone who betrays the public’s trust through this type of behavior,” said the LAPD chief, Michel Moore, in the statement.
Mota could face up to three years in county jail if convicted, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The hearing for the agent was scheduled for January 25, 2021.
