LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles Police Department officer was arrested by Upland police on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, authorities said Thursday.
Officer Arthur Contreras, a 28-year veteran of the LAPD, was arrested Wednesday, according to the LAPD. He was subsequently released, but has been placed on administrative leave, the LAPD reported.
“The Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division initiated an administrative investigation, which is being conducted simultaneously with the pending criminal case,” according to an LAPD statement.
No details were immediately available from authorities about what led to the arrest.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the 55-year-old officer was arrested about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday at a residence in Upland. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, and was released after posting $40,000 bail, The Times reported.
Contreras has an initial appearance at Rancho Superior Courthouse in Rancho Cucamonga set for Friday morning.
An LAPD source with knowledge of the case told The Times that the alleged attack occurred around lunchtime Wednesday at an undisclosed bar. Contreras is suspected of following a fellow bar patron into a bathroom, where the off-duty officer allegedly tried to stab the man in the chest but instead cut the man’s arm, according to the source.
Contreras was assigned to the Detective Support and Vice Division, according to the LAPD.
“The department is fully cooperating with the District Attorney’s Office and the Upland Police Department’s investigation relating to Contreras’ alleged criminal conduct,” the LAPD reported.
Photo source: Depositphotos
