Los Angeles cop admits to falsely identifying people as gang members
An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department who was implicated in a 2020 scandal that labeled people as gang members pleaded “no contest” late last week to six felony counts of falsifying a police report, officials announced.
Officer Braxton Shaw, 41, who was assigned to LAPD’s Metropolitan Division, falsified dozens of interview cards, which are used by police while in the field, that contained false information and wrongfully identified victims as gang members, according to a news release from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
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Prosecutors alleged that some of the 43 people who had denied any gang affiliations wound up in a state gang database as a result of the scandal.
Wesley Williams was one of the victims falsely identified by Shaw and his partner, Michael Coblentz, in 2016 of being a member of the 84 Swan Blood gang.
He was arrested for possession of a firearm despite his denial that he had no gang affiliation and was across the street from where the officers claimed he tossed a revolver into a nearby car, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Worried about going against the word of two officers in court and serving time in prison, Williams pleaded no contest to the charges in exchange for three years’ probation.
As a result, Williams told The Times he lost his job as an electrician and experienced homelessness. By the time he had nearly completed his probation, a judge threw out his case on Aug. 19, 2020.
In total that year, a judge threw out 15 felony cases of nine men convicted of different crimes, whose guilt rested on the word of Shaw and several other LAPD officers. Hundreds of other cases were under review.
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Under his no contest plea, a prosecutor told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter, that Shaw would turn over his peace officer certification, perform 250 hours of community service and be placed on probation for two years, The Times reported.
Shaw is scheduled to be formally sentenced on Sept. 25.
Charges against five other officers in the falsifying-data investigation, all of whom also were assigned to LAPD’s Metro Division, were dismissed.
“Mr. Shaw’s betrayal of the oath to serve and protect the community is not only disappointing but undermines the integrity of our law enforcement and the trust that the community places in them,” District Attorney Gascón said. “Our office remains committed to fostering a legal system that operates with integrity and fairness.”
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