LAPD sergeant is pepper-sprayed, arrested on burglary charge
From LATimes.com
Quote:
A Los Angeles police sergeant was arrested Sunday on suspicion of burglary after a woman found him inside her home near the San Bernardino National Forest and sprayed him with a potent form of pepper spray that is typically used to ward off bears, authorities said.
LAPD Sgt. Lucien Daigle allegedly fled but crashed his car a few miles from the woman’s Mentone home, said San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Sgt. Paul Morrison.
Daigle reeked of pepper spray when he was approached and had valuables inside his car that belonged to the woman, Morrison said.
It was only during the booking process, Morrison said, that deputies learned that Daigle, 44, was an LAPD sergeant.
Authorities said there is no indication that Daigle, a Highland resident, is acquainted with the victim. “It was a burglary,” Morrison said.
He was recently assigned to Olympic Division from Central Division where for many years he was a skid row drug expert. He has been placed on administrative leave by the LAPD. The department has launched an internal affairs probe.
Morrison said the break-in occurred sometime before 6:20 p.m. Sunday in the 8900 block of Tres Lagos Drive in Mentone, a remote community near Redlands.
The homeowner told deputies she had taken her dogs for a walk and returned to find a man inside her home, Morrison said.
“She had sprayed the intruder with bear pepper spray. It is five times more powerful than pepper spray we use in law enforcement,” he added.
Daigle sustained minor injuries from the traffic collision and was taken to an area hospital for treatment before he was booked. He was later released on $125,000 bail on Monday.
