Four suspects were charged, Thursday, in connection with the shooting and killing of an off-duty LAPD officer.

All four are facing violent crime in aid of racketeering (VICAR) charges, which potentially carry out a death penalty and a minimum sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.

The defendants charged were Luis Alfredo De La Rosa Rios, 29, Ernesto Cisneros, 22,
Jesse Contreras, 34, and Haylee Marie Grisham, 18.

The three men are believed to be in the Florencia 13 street gang, while Grisham is believed to be Rios’ girlfriend.

“The defendants in this case were taken into custody on Wednesday by investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” The Justice Dept. wrote on Thursday. “Those defendants are expected to be transferred to federal custody Friday morning and to make their initial court appearances Friday afternoon in United States District Court.”

Officer Fernando Uriel Arroyos, 27, was shot and killed while shopping for homes in the South L.A. area of Florence-Firestone, Monday night, in what LAPD described as an attempted robbery.

The shooting occurred around 9:15 p.m. in a robbery attempt that allegedly saw Rios and Cisneros come out of a black pickup truck and confront officer Arroyos and his girlfriend.

Shortly after the two suspects allegedly took Arroyos’ chains, a shootout ensued, with Arroyos running into an alley and the suspects fleeing.

Arroyos was transported by L.A. Sheriff’s deputies to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

“Last night I responded to a Los Angeles Hospital where my Deputies helped transport an off duty Police Officer who had been shot to the hospital,” L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Tuesday. “There is nothing more tragic and dreadful than to receive this phone call … Rest assure, our Department’s investigators are working hard to hold those responsible for this cowardly act.”

Through surveillance footage, the black pickup truck from the scene was allegedly identified at a nearby home with Contreras carrying the Cisneros after an apparent injury.

All four suspects who were charged are believed to have been inside the black pickup truck when the incident occurred.

 

 

“Our hearts break over this tragic loss for our police department and our city,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said Tuesday. “I join all of Los Angeles in grief today, and I am keeping his loved ones in my prayers.”

Arroyos is survived by his girlfriend and parents.

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