LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles police officer convicted of filing a false report and perjury stemming from a traffic stop in the Hollywood area was sentenced Friday to 45 days of community service and two years probation.
Superior Court Judge Eleanor J. Hunter said Alejandro Castillo "lied" on a report about the Oct. 18, 2019, traffic stop and then "got on the stand and he lied."
The judge told the 51-year-old defendant that there was "no reason" to do what he did the night of the traffic stop.
Jurors found Castillo guilty March 20 of one felony count each of filing a false report and perjury.
The Los Angeles Police Department's Internal Affairs Division began investigating Castillo after unspecified concerns were identified by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office while reviewing body-worn videos for DUI arrests the officer made in October 2019, police said in a statement released after Castillo's arrest in 2021.
"Investigators working in partnership with the Justice System Integrity Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office established probable cause to believe that the officer's BWV footage was inconsistent with the written report," according to the LAPD.
Castillo filed a police report that claimed the driver had made an unsafe left turn in front of oncoming traffic that nearly caused an accident, while body-worn camera video showed the motorist waited for all vehicles to pass before making the turn, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The motorist was given a sobriety test and subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the District Attorney's Office.
DUI charges were not filed against the driver as a result of the investigation.
"The allegations of an officer falsifying a police report are extremely troubling and there must be accountability," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement shortly after the officer's arrest.
The case against Castillo was filed in July 2021.
Castillo's attorney, Bill Seki, said his client is awaiting a disciplinary hearing and remains on administrative leave without pay.
"He's got to get his life back and obviously get a new career," Seki said after the hearing.