Off-Duty Cop, Who Shot At Alleged Hollywood Robber, Cleared

LOS ANGELES, CA — An off-duty LAPD detective who shot at a suspect trying to rob him on a Hollywood street was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners, according to documents released by the panel Wednesday.

The detective, who was not identified in a redacted report by Police Chief Charlie Beck, reported that he was walking through Hollywood around 5:25 a.m. May 4, 2016, on his way to a Metro Red Line station when he noticed he was being followed.

The man following him, identified as a 19-year-old man named J. Noriega, approached the detective from behind near Franklin Avenue and Van Ness Avenue, pulled a gun and called out to him, according to the report.

Noriega then demanded the detective's backback, and the detective pretended to comply but pulled his handgun from his holster and fired at Noriega.

Noriega stumbled backward, and the detective fired a second time when Noriega tried to point his weapon at him again. The detective apparently missed both times, with the report stating Noriega was not injured.

Noriega fled and got into a waiting car, but was later arrested along with an accomplice and charged with attempted murder, the report said.

The commission voted 4-0 and agreed with Beck that the detective's actions were within department policy because he rightfully feared for his life after Noriega pointed the gun at him.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock