Former Los Angeles police officers charged with vandalism for spray-painting swastika on suspect’s car

‘Our voice is committed to uprooting discrimination within the law enforcement ranks to preserve the integrity of the criminal legal system,’ says county attorney general

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said that two former Torrence police officers had pled not guilty to charges in connection to vandalism on a car (County of Los Angeles)

Two police officers from Los Angeles County have been accused of painting a swastika on a car, according to authorities.

The two officers were identified as Christopher Tomsic, 29, and Cody Weidin, 28, by law enforcement. They stand accused of conspiracy to commit vandalism and committing vandalism. They have both pleaded not guilty.

The pair were a part of a response team to reports of stolen mail. While answering the call, they were taken to see a car that was allegedly used in the crime. Following this, the two officers took the car for inspection.

When the car was delivered back to the owner, he found a swastika painted on the backseat and a happy face painted on one of the front seats.

“Our voice is committed to uprooting discrimination within the law enforcement ranks to preserve the integrity of the criminal legal system,” George Gascon, attorney general of Los Angeles county, said in a statement.

The alleged incident is said to have happened in January 2020. Torrance Sgt Mark Ponegalek said in a statement that “immediately upon learning of the reprehensible allegations in 2020, the Torrance Police Department opened a criminal investigation and the officers were put on leave.”

The officers no longer work in the department. According to the LA Times, it is not clear if they quit or if they were fired.

According to the Attorney General, “hundreds” of cases the two officers were connected to will be reviewed for potential misconduct.

“Let me be clear. I will aggressively pursue any form of bigotry, hate and misconduct,” said Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart about the incident, according to the AP.

Both are expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on 4 October.