Charges dismissed against two more LAPD officers in gang labeling scandal
LA TimesA case alleging LAPD officers intentionally misidentified people as gang members has largely fallen apart in court, with charges against five of six accused officers now dismissed. Criminal charges were dismissed Monday against two more Los Angeles police officers accused of intentionally misidentifying people as gang members — further unraveling a once-sprawling case that at its peak involved investigations into more than 30 officers. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Kerry White dismissed the cases against LAPD officers Michael Coblentz and Nicolas Martinez at the request of prosecutors, who cited another judge’s decision to dismiss similar cases against three other officers in February. L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor dismissed the earlier cases after concluding that the LAPD at the time had vague policies around documenting gang affiliations, allowing officers to report that someone had “self-admitted” to being a gang member based on a range of factors, including tattoos, and not necessarily on actual verbal admissions.
History of this topic
LAPD officer pleads no contest to falsely identifying people as gang members
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Prosecutors drop charges in ‘ghost gun’ case linked to LAPD gang unit scandal
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Prosecutors fear LAPD gang unit scandal could jeopardize over 300 cases, sources say
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District Attorney drops more than 30 cases involving former officers charged in Tyre Nichols’ death
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Judge dismisses case against deputies accused of covering up assault in East L.A.
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Cases against LAPD officers accused of making false gang claims fall apart
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Judge tosses case against three LAPD officers charged in gang labeling scandal
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4 more officers suspected of adding false gang information to LAPD files
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Prosecutors begin dismissing felony cases involving LAPD officers accused in gang-framing scandal
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California bars police from using LAPD records in gang database. Critics want it axed
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LAPD officer accused of falsifying gang records faced earlier credibility questions but stayed on elite unit
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3 LAPD officers charged with falsifying records to claim people were gang members, associates
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