LOS ANGELES — Criminal charges were dismissed Tuesday against three Los Angeles police officers accused of falsely documenting people as gang members.
Following more than two weeks of testimony at a preliminary hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ruled that prosecutors did not have enough evidence to continue with the case against Officers Rene Braga, Julio Garcia and Raul Uribe, according to the officers’ attorney and a transcript of Pastor’s remarks.
In reaching his decision, Pastor noted that the officers had been accused of misrepresenting evidence in a single case, “not a pattern” of offenses, as are three other LAPD officers who have been charged in another case. Pastor said he did not believe the officers had “the specific intent to make false statements” or “a fraudulent or deceitful purpose” when they noted in police records that people they encountered during a traffic stop had gang affiliations.
