Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Officials Say California Deputy Lied About Being Shot
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
August 26, 2019

Share

LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles County deputy lied when he said he was shot in the shoulder while standing in a sheriff’s station parking lot last week and will face a criminal investigation, authorities said.
“The reported sniper assault was fabricated” by Deputy Angel Reinosa, Assistant Sheriff Robin Limon said at a news conference late Saturday.

“The reported sniper assault was fabricated [by Deputy Angel Reinosa].” — Assistant Sheriff Robin Limon
Reinosa, 21, made a frantic radio call Wednesday claiming he’d been shot by someone in a nearby building as he walked to his car outside the Lancaster station, prompting a huge police response. Deputies set up a perimeter and SWAT officers went door-to-door inside a sprawling building complex to search for the shooter.
At the time, investigators believed Reinosa’s bulletproof vest saved his life but that a bullet grazed him. A department statement the next day said a single round hit the top of Reinosa’s shoulder, damaging his uniform shirt but failing to penetrate his flesh.
But no bullets were recovered from the scene and detectives saw “no visible injuries,” Capt. Kent Wegener said Saturday night.
Much of the young deputy’s statement “was self-serving and didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Wegener said. “There were many things that didn’t add up.”
Reinosa eventually admitted making up the story and using a knife to cut the two holes in his shirt, Wegener said.

Mayor Parris ‘Embarrassed’ After Learning Ordeal Was a Hoax

Reinosa has been relieved of his duties and could face charges for filing a false report about a crime, officials said. He didn’t explain his motive for the fabrication, Wegener said.
Reinosa had been with the LA County Sheriff’s Department for a year and joined the Lancaster station in May for patrol training.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday he had been informed by sheriff’s officials that Reinosa had been struggling in his first year in the field — a probationary training period that all deputies must complete before becoming full-fledged deputies. Sheriff’s officials wouldn’t immediately confirm that account.
“He was not advancing through the training program at an adequate pace,” Parris told the newspaper. “There had been a lot of attention on him.”
Parris declined to elaborate further on Reinosa’s performance but said the deputy was scheduled to be transferred from the Lancaster station and speculated that he had been unhappy about the pending move.
The mayor visited Reinosa in the hospital and then gave a press conference on the incident Wednesday night detailing the ongoing investigation.
Parris said he was “embarrassed” after learning Saturday evening that the whole ordeal was a hoax.

Deputies Searched Through the Night for the Sniper

“At the same time, I’m grateful we don’t have a sniper running around,” the mayor told the newspaper. “And I’m really proud of how the Sheriff’s Department handled it. There was no attempt to cover it up.”

“At the same time, I’m grateful we don’t have a sniper running around. And I’m really proud of how the Sheriff’s Department handled it. There was no attempt to cover it up.” — Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris
Deputies searched through the night for the sniper inside the block-long, four-story structure with many windows that overlook the sheriff’s facility in downtown Lancaster, a desert city of about 160,000 people north of Los Angeles.
Tactical teams worked their way through the building, evacuating some people and having others shelter in place, officials said.
Deputies cleared other nearby buildings, including a library. Authorities urged residents to avoid the neighborhood.
Metrolink train service was halted in the area.
The search was called off Thursday and authorities said the shooter was still at large.
“Our deputies responded to a cry for help and did exactly what they have been trained to do to protect our civilian staff, residents and community,” said a department statement Sunday. “Our community and other first responder partners worked side by side with us to move quickly, effectively and efficiently. There is no shame in that.”
The statement concluded: “The actions of one individual are not indicative of who Lancaster Sheriff’s Station Deputies are.”

DON'T MISS

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

DON'T MISS

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

DON'T MISS

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

DON'T MISS

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

DON'T MISS

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park or Fight?

DON'T MISS

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

DON'T MISS

November Has Scattered Cool Temps, Rain Showers for Fresno

DON'T MISS

Beyoncé Makes Grammy History With ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Leading 2025 Nominations

DON'T MISS

Macklin Celebrini, NHL’s Youngest Player, Scores on Marc-Andre Fleury, League’s Oldest

UP NEXT

San Francisco’s First Black Female Mayor Concedes to Levi Strauss Heir

UP NEXT

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

UP NEXT

Southern California Wildfire Destroys 132 Structures as Officials Look for Fierce Winds to Subside

UP NEXT

Wave of Racist Texts After Election Prompts FBI Scrutiny

UP NEXT

Americans Seek Fresh Start Abroad as Election Sparks Expat Interest

UP NEXT

California Beat Trump in Court His First Term. It’s Preparing New Cases for His Second.

UP NEXT

Don’t Expect Kamala Harris’ Loss to Boost Gavin Newsom’s Presidential Prospects

UP NEXT

California Governor Calls Special Session to Protect Liberal Policies From Trump Presidency

UP NEXT

Trump’s Deportation Plan Brings Fear and Sadness at CA Border

UP NEXT

Thousands Ordered to Evacuate as Powerful Wind-Fed Wildfire Burns Homes in Southern California

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

3 hours ago

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

4 hours ago

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park or Fight?

5 hours ago

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

6 hours ago

November Has Scattered Cool Temps, Rain Showers for Fresno

6 hours ago

Beyoncé Makes Grammy History With ‘Cowboy Carter,’ Leading 2025 Nominations

7 hours ago

Macklin Celebrini, NHL’s Youngest Player, Scores on Marc-Andre Fleury, League’s Oldest

7 hours ago

Ramsey, Beckham Return to SoFi Stadium When the Struggling Dolphins Visit the Streaking Rams

7 hours ago

San Francisco’s First Black Female Mayor Concedes to Levi Strauss Heir

8 hours ago

FBI Thwarts Iranian Murder-for-Hire Plan Targeting Donald Trump

8 hours ago

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

The Foundation for Central Schools hosted its 20th annual Warm for Winter event on Friday at Houghton-Kearney K-8 School. They provided over...

1 hour ago

The Foundation for Central Schools' 20th annual Warm for Winter event provided over 2,500 Central Unified students with spirit sweaters, thanks to community partnerships and generous donors. (Central Foundation)
1 hour ago

Over 2,500 Central Unified Students Receive Spirit Sweaters at 20th Annual ‘Warm for Winter’

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Gang Members in Shooting Involving 7-Month-Old

2 hours ago

Fresno Team Makes Low-Budget Horror Flicks Look Like Multi-Million-Dollar Productions

Following the results of Tuesday's election, Jada Mevs, a 25-year-old from Washington, D.C., is urging women to take action by signing up for self-defense classes, deleting dating apps, getting on birth control, and investing in vibrators, as part of a growing response to the election of Donald Trump for a second term and the failure of abortion rights referendums. (Shutterstock)
3 hours ago

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

4 hours ago

Homeowners’ Effort to Leave Sierra Unified Ends With County Ed Rejection

5 hours ago

Will Terance Frazier’s Nonprofit Exit Granite Park or Fight?

6 hours ago

Fresno Crash Sends Pickup Into Tree, Dark Tint Cited as Cause

6 hours ago

November Has Scattered Cool Temps, Rain Showers for Fresno

Search

Send this to a friend