People v. Amio CA2/8

FACTS

Amio and Samuel were members of the Hollywood Gang Enforcement Detail of the LAPD in 2007. On July 6, 2007, at approximately 11:40 p.m., they participated in the arrest of Alarcon for a narcotics violation along with Officer Manuel Ortiz,1 who also belonged to the Hollywood Gang Enforcement Detail. In the course of their duties, the three officers prepared written reports and offered testimony about the events leading to Alarcon’s arrest. At each juncture of the investigation and trial against Alarcon, the three officers provided a consistent story: Amio and Samuel encountered Alarcon while on patrol that night. He ran when they shined their spotlight on him. They gave chase and saw him throw a black item away during the chase. The black item hit a dumpster and broke open, revealing narcotics. Samuel recovered the black item and the narcotics. At trial, the jury viewed a videotape which showed a different sequence of events. In video taken by the apartment building’s surveillance cameras, Ortiz is seen locating the object in a closed condition at a different location and much later than the officers’ described. The video tape also contained audio of an officer suggesting,…