Three individuals belonging to a gang engaged in a violent confrontation with an off-duty officer from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 2021. They proceeded to rob and fatally harm him while he and his girlfriend were searching for a new home. The United States Department of Justice announced on July 14 that these three individuals, namely Luis Alfredo de la Rosa Rios (29), Ernesto Cisneros (24), and Jesse Contreras (35), have pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges. Consequently, they will be incarcerated for several decades.
According to the statement from the Department of Justice, Rios, Cisneros, and Contreras confessed to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent that they were responsible for the shooting of Officer Fernando Arroyos (27). This tragic incident occurred on January 10, 2022, as Arroyos and his girlfriend were walking along East 87th Street in the Florence-Graham neighborhood of South Los Angeles. The trio approached the couple and confronted them.
Court records state that the men disclosed they were driving around in a black pickup truck that fateful night, scouting for potential robbery victims. They targeted Arroyos upon noticing a gold chain around his neck. Once they pulled up beside him and his girlfriend, Rios and Cisneros exited the vehicle and aimed guns at them.
Cisneros proceeded to take Arroyos’ wallet from his pocket, discovering the officer’s LAPD identification card inside. This triggered the commencement of the shooting. Both Rios and Cisneros fired at Arroyos at least once, prompting the officer to return fire with his own gun.
Arroyos sustained a single gunshot wound and fled to a nearby alley before collapsing. He was pronounced dead at St. Francis Medical Center half an hour following the incident. An FBI affidavit reveals a bullet grazed Rios’ left ribcage, creating a hole in his white hooded sweatshirt. Cisneros, on the other hand, took a bullet to the leg and expressed his belief that it was broken when he rejoined the others in the pickup truck.
Eventually, the Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested all three men along with Haylee Marie Grisham, a 20-year-old woman who happened to be Rios’ girlfriend and was in the truck with them.
These individuals face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. However, as per the plea agreements, federal prosecutors will pursue sentences ranging from 35 to 50 years for Rios and Cisneros, while seeking a 35-year sentence for Contreras. The sentencing is scheduled for September 25.
Grisham, who is also involved in the racketeering scheme, pleaded guilty in April to one count of committing a violent crime. Her plea hearing is set for September 11.
Please note that this story is currently developing, and we will provide updates as they become available.
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