An L.A. County sheriff’s deputy attempted to cover up the suspected DUI crash of a fellow deputy by pulling the reportedly drunken man from the patrol vehicle he’d wrecked and depositing him in another car to be driven away, prosecutors say.
Deputy Gregory Davis was charged with felony conspiracy to obstruct justice, a misdemeanor count of giving false information to police and three misdemeanor counts of obstructing an investigation in connection with the incident, according to a news release from Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón.
The crash occurred in August 2022 in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Off-duty Deputy Carlos Lopez, a member of the department’s Special Enforcement Bureau, which includes SWAT, allegedly crashed his patrol SUV in Stevenson Ranch before Davis came along and reportedly pulled Lopez from the vehicle.
Lopez’s wife drove the deputy home after Davis placed Lopez in her car, according to the release.
“Prosecutors say Davis then attempted to move the deputy’s SUV before an off-duty LAPD officer passing by called authorities,” the district attorney’s office said. “Davis initially did not identify himself as an off-duty deputy.”
Lopez’s whereabouts were unknown for nearly an hour after the crash, but he was eventually located at his home.
The SUV was found crashed in bushes.
He was taken to Henry Mayo Hospital for a possible head injury but was released. The Sheriff’s Department said afterward that Lopez had been relieved of duty.
Lopez was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
Davis, a member of the department’s High Risk Tactical/Rescue Teams, is expected to surrender to authorities on Sept. 27.
Davis was relieved of duty Tuesday, the department said.
“A law enforcement officer obstructing an investigation into unlawful conduct by another deputy undermines the integrity of the justice system,” Gascón said in a statement. “We will hold accountable both the officer who committed misconduct and those who participated in covering it up.”
This story originally appeared on LA Times
