FULLERTON : Officer Who Led Police on Chase Is Sentenced

A Los Angeles police officer was sentenced to three years’ probation Tuesday and will likely lose his job for a high-speed chase that began when Buena Park officers suspected he was having sex outside an adult theater.

David Robert Bergstrom, 36, of Orange, apologized for his actions telling Municipal Judge Richard E. Behn in Fullerton, “It will never happen again.”

“I believe you,” the judge replied.

The 14-year officer will avoid 180 days in Orange County Jail if he completes an alcohol treatment program.

Defense attorney Michael Stone said his client is doing well in treatment, although he expects to lose the job he loves because of his felony plea.

“He’s got to find a new life,” Stone said.

Several fellow officers, along with Bergstrom’s wife and parents, attended the sentencing to offer support. Many more wrote letters to the judge, praising the officer’s work and urging that he receive treatment instead of jail time.

Bergstrom pleaded guilty in September to felony charges of evading arrest and trying to bribe a witness--a 19-year-old strip-club dancer who was with him.

He also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunk driving and admitted he was carrying a gun.

The July 22 incident began when Buena Park undercover officers thought they saw a burglar peeking into a pickup parked near the Studio Theater.

When the officers approached, it appeared two people were having sex inside, police said at the time. The driver led officers on a chase with speeds exceeding 80 mph before abandoning the truck. Authorities traced the license plate to Bergstrom.

Stone said Bergstrom didn’t know initially that police officers were inside the unmarked car chasing him.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Marc Kelly said Bergstrom should never be allowed to work again as a police officer. “His conduct and his oath took diverse turns,” Kelly said.

The county Probation Department had recommended probation.