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Last week's lockdown of Woodland Hills schools, fear felt by students and parents, and massive dragnet for a gunman that disrupted entire Valley neighborhoods — all the result of a dishonest LAUSD police officer, LAPD chief Charlie Beck said at a press conference tonight. Detectives became suspicious of the story told by officer Jeff Stenroos as they investigated. He had said he was shot in the chest by a man breaking into cars, but survived because of a bulletproof vest. Stenroos made it all up and has been arrested, Beck said. Stenroos reportedly has admitted the hoax, the Times reports. LAT, NBC 4, KTLA
Someone with access to deeper archives should be able to dig out a previous incident in which an LAUSD officer shot into his own car but blamed it on others. That's if I recall it correctly — it may have been 20 years ago or more.
"We are now certain that there is no outstanding suspect in this shooting," Beck says. The chief's entire statement is after the jump:
On January 19, 2011, the LAPD responded to and launched an extensive investigation after Officer Stenroos reported a burglary suspect attempted to murder him by shooting him in the chest, while he was on patrol near El Camino High School in the San Fernando Valley.
The current state of the investigation refutes Stenroos’ initial account of the incident and we are now certain that there is no outstanding suspect in this shooting.
RHD Detectives worked tirelessly to ensure the case was thoroughly investigated and the community was not at risk. Detectives followed up on more than 350 clues, conducted a number of neighborhood canvasses, made hundreds of community contacts and distributed countless Community Alert Notices in hopes of gathering any valuable leads in the case.
While I understand the media and the public’s intense interest in this investigation, and the desire for answers to the many questions that will be asked with this new development of the Officer’s arrest, I cannot provide more detailed information at this time.
"Obviously, it's as shocking to us as it is to anyone else," Steven Zipperman, chief of the Los Angeles Unified School District Police Department.
Beck's statement via KFI News; updated post