9:30am Tuesday, August 10 | The Long Beach Police Department officer suspected of stealing four firearms has been charged with more than one dozen counts that included grand theft and embezzlement, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The Los Angeles Times reports today that the officer, Damian Ramos, pleaded Not Guilty. His bail has been set at $100,000.
Ramos, 33, has been suspended without pay from the force. He stands accused of taking four firearms that were to be booked as property after a Long Beach business discovered the weapons and turned them over to police. Only one of the weapons has been recovered.
The five-year LBPD veteran was formally charged with four counts each of grand theft of personal property, grand theft firearm and embezzlement by a police officer. He was also charged with one count of possessing an assault weapon. Ramos could face more than eight years in state prison if convicted on all counts. His next hearing has been set for August 23.
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3:15pm Friday, August 6 | An officer of the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) has been arrested for stealing firearms that had been turned over for evidence, in an investigation conducted internally by the LBPD. He has been booked at the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail and is being held on $1,000,000 bail.
Damian Ramos, a five-year employee of the department, was arrested on charges of grand theft of weapons after the LBPD conducted searches with multiple warrants and acquired evidence connecting Ramos to the case. A press release did not state what evidence was recovered, or specify the type of firearms in question.
Ramos apparently was called to a business after a found property call and received numerous weapons that were to be entered into evidence. The department found, however, that the number of weapons turned in did not match the number that had been reported by the business. Police then conducted searches and found evidence connecting Ramos to the crime, although the press release did not specify whether or not the firearms have been recovered.
“Upon learning of the potential misconduct by one of our own, we took swift action to ensure that the investigation was handled thoroughly, and I am confident that these were the actions of a single officer,” reads a statement from Long Beach Chief of Police Jim McDonnell. “It is our responsibility to ensure the public’s trust within our Police Department, and anyone who compromises the integrity of this organization will be dealt with immediately.”
Ramos has been suspended without pay while the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Justice Integrity Division is presented with the case.