LAPD officer charged with lying, perjury after alleging DUI in 2019 incident

A Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer has been charged with filing a false report and perjury after allegedly lying about a motorist being under the influence in a 2019 incident, officials said.

Alejandro Castillo, 49, is expected to be arraigned Tuesday after the case was filed for warrant July 20, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.

The charges stem from an Oct. 18, 2019 incident, when Castillo allegedly stopped a man driving in the Hollywood area. The man was apparently making an unsafe turn. He was given a sobriety test and eventually arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

The investigation by the LAPD’s internal affairs division began after concerns were brought up by the L.A. City Attorney’s Office while reviewing body-worn camera videos for DUI arrests in October 2019.

“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,” LAPD officers said at the time of Castillo’s arrest. “As a result, the DUI charge was not filed against the arrestee.”

It is unclear, however why Castillo, a 13-year veteran of the department, allegedly lied about the motorist. LAPD officials said Castillo was “relieved of his police powers.”

“We depend on law enforcement officers to tell the truth, especially when failure to do so jeopardizes another person’s liberty,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release.