Federal prosecutors have charged four individuals in connection with the fatal shooting of off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer Fernando Arroyos, who was killed during an attempted robbery.
Luis Alfredo De La Rosa Rios, 29, Ernesto Cisneros, 22, and Jesse Contreras, 34, are alleged members of the F-13 gang, according to the US Justice Department.
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Rios' girlfriend, Haylee Marie Grisham, 18, was also charged as an associate.
Arroyos was house-hunting with his girlfriend when Rios and Cisneros approached them, pointed guns, and stole items including chains from Arroyos' neck.
An exchange of gunfire followed, and Arroyos collapsed at the scene. He later died at a hospital.
All four defendants were allegedly in the fleeing vehicle.
They face charges of violent crime in aid of racketeering, which carries a potential death penalty or a minimum sentence of life in federal prison without parole.
The F-13 gang is described as a "large, multi-generational street gang" previously targeted in federal racketeering cases, the US Attorney's office stated.
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Arroyos had served three years with the LAPD and was assigned to the Wilshire Division.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the officer "was starting a very promising career" and was killed while enjoying a day off after working consecutive patrol shifts.
"He found himself, after working a series of days in patrol, to have a day off, enjoying it with his girlfriend on a hunt for a house," Moore said.
The chief added that Arroyos was an only child, survived by his mother and stepfather.
In July 2024, Rios, Contreras, and Cisneros pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
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Rios and Cisneros were sentenced to 50 years, and Contreras to 35 years in federal prison. Grisham pleaded guilty to violent crime in aid of racketeering.
