Officer charged after body cam catches him fondling a dead woman’s breasts, LAPD says

When LAPD officer David Rojas, 27, was responding to a report that a woman had died in October, he deactivated his body camera when his partner left the room, per the Washington Post. He didn’t know that it was still recording when he allegedly groped the dead woman’s breasts, the LAPD says.

Rojas was arrested on Thursday by the LAPD’s internal affairs division, according to CBS Los Angeles. He was charged with a felony count of “having sexual contact with human remains without authority,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced. The allegation was brought against Rojas when LAPD was investigating the fatal overdose of the woman.

He was released on $20,000 bail, per jail records, NBC News reported.

Before he was arrested, he was removed from active duty and put on administrative leave, according to BuzzFeed. If convicted, Rojas faces up to three years in prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

“This incident is extremely disturbing and does not represent the values of the Los Angeles Police Department,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said to NBC News.

Even though Rojas tried to turn the body cam off, there’s a buffer of two minutes of video when the camera is turned back on, which is how the incident was recorded, the Los Angeles Times originally reported. Police officials were doing a review of body camera videos and found the footage.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the police union that typically gives legal counsel for members, said that it won’t defend him, per the Associated Press.

“We hope that District Attorney Jackie Lacey charging Mr. Rojas for his vile alleged crime will bring some solace to the deceased woman’s family during their time of grieving,” the union’s board said in a statement. “His alleged behavior is abhorrent and an affront to every law enforcement professional working for the LAPD.”