Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has charged an off-duty Los Angeles Police Department detective with a hit-and-run stemming from an incident on the 5 Freeway one year ago.
Detective Stephanie Carrillo was in her unmarked police vehicle on May 3, 2023, when she “allegedly rear-ended a civilian’s vehicle causing damage,” Gascón’s office said in a news release.
“While Carrillo and the victim were pulled over following the crash, Carrillo allegedly returned to her vehicle and fled the scene,” the District Attorney’s office added.
Carrillo, 47, then went to “the California Highway Patrol San Juan Capistrano station in Orange County where she filed a report that she had been involved in a hit-and-run incident,” prosecutors added.
Prosecutors did not say why they waited exactly one year to file charges, but in California, the statute of limitations on misdemeanors is one year. Carrillo’s hit-and-run charge is a misdemeanor, and if convicted, she faces up to six months in county jail.
“Irresponsible and unlawful behavior by law enforcement as allegedly exhibited by Officer Carrillo not only violates public trust but goes against the oath taken by law enforcement to keep the public safe,” Gascón said in the release. “Police officers have a fundamental duty to act with honesty and integrity. Our office will not tolerate conduct that jeopardizes public safety and fails to conform to the minimum standard of law-abidance expected of officers of the law.”
Carrillo did not appear in a search of jail records, but Gascón’s office said she is set to be arraigned on May 22 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, the LAPD said it is cooperating with the District Attorney’s office “as criminal proceedings are carried out” against the 24-year veteran of the department.
“The Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division initiated an administrative investigation into this allegation, and Carrillo was relieved of her police powers pending the resolution of the administrative investigation,” the statement said.