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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer was briefly in custody after his fellow officers saw him with a gang member who was found to be in possession of narcotics and a "ghost gun," police said Monday.
Gang enforcement officers from the 77th Street Division saw two men standing next to a parked vehicle in South Los Angeles on Saturday, an LAPD source told the Los Angeles Times. After officers searched the vehicle they found narcotics and an untraceable illegal gun, known as a "ghost gun," inside a bag.
The man who was with the officer is affiliated with the Rollin' 60s gang, the police source told The Times. DQuan Clarke, 28, of Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a concealed firearm. He was released Monday on $35,000 bail, according to court records.
According to The Times, the off-duty officer identified himself to investigating officers as a member of LAPD's Southwest Division. He denied knowing anything about the narcotics or the gun.
An LAPD spokesperson confirmed to The Times that both the detained officer and the gang unit officers were under investigation by Internal Affairs.
LAPD policy prohibits officers from associating with known gang members or others engaged in criminal activity.
Police Commission Steve Soboroff said undercover officers often encounter gang members in the course of their duties.
"On its face, it's very troubling, but it's irresponsible to deal with this stuff on its face when there's more information to uncover," Soboroff told The Times. "And one (question) would be, is the officer undercover, was he on a mission? And one would be, is he communicating with a gang member who isn't doing anything wrong?"
Clarke is scheduled to appear on Sept 22 at the Los Angeles Superior Court in downtown Los Angeles, according to bail records.