LAPD officer charged with transportation of illegal aliens

SAN DIEGO, CA (FOX 11) - Los Angeles Police Officer Mambasse Koulabalo Patara was charged in federal court Wednesday with transportation of two illegal aliens.

Patara was taken into custody on April 24, 2018 at approximately 1:30 a.m. at the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 8 near Pine Valley. According to a complaint, Patara pulled up to the primary inspection area in a Black 2006 Toyota Corolla sedan with two men in the car who later proved to be in the United States illegally.

At the checkpoint, Patara immediately told Border Patrol agents he is a U.S. citizen and an off-duty police officer and showed them a Los Angeles Police Department identification card. Agents said Patara appeared to be very nervous and was visibly shaking and avoiding eye contact.

He was referred to secondary inspection, where Patara informed the agents that he was in possession of his service-issued weapon. Agents then seized a pistol concealed in Patara's waistband.

Patara's passengers - Fermin Lopez, and his nephew, German Ramirez-Gonzalez - admitted to being citizens of Mexico illegally present in the U.S.

Patara is scheduled to appear in court today at 2 p.m. for arraignment on the complaint before United Stsates Magistrate Judge Jan Adler at 2 p.m.