Sheriff Villanueva on crime crisis plaguing Los Angeles
LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva discusses the crime crisis plaguing the area in the wake of Brianna Kupfer's death on 'America's Newsroom'
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva joined "America's Newsroom" on Tuesday to discuss the rampant crime plaguing the city, and his decision to bypass liberal District Attorney George Gascón to handle violent crime investigations.
"I have no confidence in what the local D.A., George Gascón, is going to do," Villanueva said. "His deputy district attorney and the Crimes Against Peace Officers unit appeared on the scene of the shooting of Fernando Arroyos' very tragic murder, and they were fully briefed."
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"They participated in the discussion, and they told our investigators that the D.A. had no interest in pursuing anything beyond just a straightforward murder charge without any enhancements for gang activity, for weapons used," he continued. "That is just not acceptable."
According to Villanueva, the federal officials were happy to take on the case.
Arroyos was a Los Angeles police officer who was killed last week during an attempted robbery, while off-duty and looking at homes with his girlfriend.
Four people have been charged in connection with his death, including three alleged gang members and one of their girlfriends.
Los Angeles police officer Fernando Arroyos, 27, was killed Monday night while house hunting with his girlfriend. Four people have been arrested in connection with the murder investigation. (Los Angeles Police Protective League)
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"If you cannot be counted on to hold people accountable for breaking the rule of law and such a depraved manner, what good is your local district attorney?" he asked.
The sheriff continued by arguing everything Gascón says reflects that of social justice advocates and public defenders.
"The job of the prosecutor is to prosecute crime in between the two camps," Villanueva said. "You have the balance of liberty right now. There is no balance. Everybody's on one side and the public suffers."
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Meanwhile, authorities are still investigating the murder of a 24-year-old UCLA graduate student, after she was killed in last week what appears to be a random act of violence at a luxury furniture store.
As a result of the crime wave, Gascón has come under fire and even faces a recall effort over what many critics call his soft-on-crime approach as violence continues to rock the city.
"He's going to feel a lot of pressure because I understand the recall is now gaining steam… I think it's karma," Villanueva said.