LOS ANGELES — 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.
