LAPD Officer Arrested For Stealing Cash During Drug Raid: Police

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles police officer was arrested for allegedly stealing money from the backpack of an employee at an illegal cannabis grow facility during a raid Monday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The officer was caught because the worker immediately notified an LAPD supervisor that money was missing from her backpack, promoting the department to secure the scene and review security cameras, according to a statement put out by the Los Angeles Police Department.

A review of closed circuit cameras installed in the building led investigators to believe Northeast Area Police Officer Louis Motahad taken cash from the worker’s backpack, the department reported. The Department’s Internal Affairs Group was immediately notified and Mota’s badge, gun, and Department ID were removed as he was taken into custody.

“No employee of this Department is above the law, and we will not tolerate any individual who betrays the public’s trust through this type of behavior,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said.

Mota was booked for misdemeanor theft and released on his own recognizance. He
has been assigned to home pending the outcome of the administrative and criminal investigation.