4 Los Angeles Cops Scrutinized For Presence At Capitol Riots

LOS ANGELES, CA — Investigators have identified four Los Angeles law enforcement officers, who were present at the deadly U.S. Capitol insurrection Jan. 6, including three Los Angeles Police Department officers and one sheriff's deputy.

The extend of their involvement in the riot, if any, remains unclear, but Sheriff Alex Villanueva said he is worried that one of his own was involved in the wrongdoing. The officers are among dozens from police agencies nationwide, who traveled to Washington to rally for then-President Donald Trump. At least two have been charged with crimes at the Capitol while dozens more have been interviewed by the FBI about their actions that day.

The four local law enforcement figures have not yet been publicly identified. Their presence at the Capitol is complicated for local leaders. Participation in the riots would be a crime and a black eye for the department. But merely attending the Trump rally would be a matter of free speech.

“If they were off-duty, it’s totally free speech,” said Will Aitchison, a lawyer in Portland, Oregon, who represents law enforcement officers. “People have the right to express their political views regardless of who’s standing next to them. You just don’t get guilt by association.”

But Ayesha Bell Hardaway, a professor at Case Western Reserve University law school, said an officer’s presence at the rally creates a credibility issue as law enforcement agencies work to repair community trust, especially after last summer's protests against police brutality sparked by the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Communities will question the integrity of officers who attended the rally along with “individuals who proudly profess racist and divisive viewpoints,” she said. “It calls into question whether those officers are interested in engaging in policing in a way that builds trust and legitimacy in all communities, including communities of color.”

LAPD Chief Michel Moore ordered any LAPD personnel who traveled to Washington D.C. at the time of the riot to cooperate with federal authorities even if they did not take part in any illegal activity.

"The department met yesterday (Jan. 11) with all off of our senior staff and we have instructed that if we learn of anyone who has traveled to this even, the president's remarks or was present in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, that we're to identify them and identify their involvement," Moore told the media.

Moore has said he was aware of one LAPD employee who traveled there and participated by attending the speech of President Trump, but didn't participate in the violence that followed. He made no mention of the other two officers cited in Sunday's news story.

Meanwhile, at least one LASD deputy has admitted to being at the U.S. Capitol during the violent insurrection, LASD Sheriff Alex Villanueva told the media.

"I am very concerned one of my deputies may have been involved in wrongdoing at the U.S. Capitol," Villanueva said.

"I unequivocally condemn the violence that occurred in D.C. with the same resolve I condemned the rioting and looting after the killing of George Floyd," Villanueva said in a video message he released.

On Sunday, CNS contacted the LASD and asked them to name the deputy or at least identify the person's gender and explain the possible charges that deputy could face as a result of the insurrection. The LASD declined to provide that information.

"All information regarding any LASD personnel identified as possibly entering the capitol building has been shared with the handling agencies and an administrative investigation was being conducted," the department told CNS. "Due to the active investigation, no further comment can be made connected to the incident."

The riot at the capitol left five people dead including one woman who was shot to death by a capitol policeman and a capitol policeman -- Brian Sicknick - who was killed by members of the mob.

City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.