A police officer is accused of stealing a debit card and using it at a home improvement store, California police said.
Officer Edmond Babaians, a 16-year veteran with the Los Angeles Police Department who works in the department’s jails, was arrested on counts of burglary and theft of a debit card, LAPD said in an Aug. 8 news release.
“The allegations of an officer breaking public trust are extremely troubling and there must be accountability,” Los Angeles police Chief Michel Moore said in the release.
Police said they started an internal investigation after a woman’s report of a missing debit card.
The woman said she last remembered having her card when she was inside a police “department facility” and later noticed unauthorized charges on her bank statement, police said.
After the woman got photos of the suspect using her card to make purchases at a home improvement store, she gave them to investigators, according to police.
The suspect was identified as Babaians, who was released on his recognizance following his arrest, police said.
Until the department’s investigation is complete, Babaians, who “was relieved of his police powers,” will be assigned to home, police said.
Contact information for Babaians or an attorney who could comment on his behalf was not immediately available.
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