Antonovich Chides D.A. on Rampart Prosecutions

LOS ANGELES —  A Los Angeles County supervisor Friday asked his colleagues to join him in urging Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti to more aggressively prosecute the Los Angeles police officers involved in the burgeoning Rampart scandal.

“The failure of the district attorney to aggressively pursue this vigilante effort by a handful of police officers has weakened the fabric of this county,” said Supervisor Mike Antonovich, a political foe of Garcetti’s who is backing Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen L. Cooley in the March primary.

Antonovich noted that Rafael Perez is the only officer connected with the Rampart Station who has been prosecuted, and cited a case that the district attorney’s office declined to file against another officer in the station who was suspected of beating an unarmed suspect.

Antonovich’s motion will be considered at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, but his colleagues, all of whom back Garcetti in the upcoming primary, reacted coolly to the proposal.

“Hopefully, we’re not trying to bring the county into an L.A. city problem,” Supervisor Don Knabe said.