Off-Duty LAPD Officer Arrested for Allegedly Assaulting Youth

A Los Angeles Police Department officer has been arrested on suspicion of felony child abuse and endangerment in an alleged assault on a 10-year-old child who was waiting at a bus stop with the off-duty officer’s children, authorities said Tuesday.

Orange police arrested Daniel Burzumato, 43, of Orange, on Monday after the 10-year-old’s mother filed a complaint about the incident, which occurred at 7 a.m. Monday at Ponderosa Street and Kirkwood Avenue. The Orange County district attorney’s office and the LAPD are investigating the complaint and interviewing witnesses.

“Right now it is under investigation, but it’s too premature to say what specific charges are being looked at,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Jim Tanizaki.

Burzumato, who was released on his own recognizance, has no criminal record and has had no civil case filed against him in the more than 10 years with the LAPD, a department spokesman said.

Burzumato could not be reached for comment.

Kenneth Poe, who lives near the intersection where the alleged assault occurred, said he often sees Burzumato or his wife waiting with their children at the bus stop. He said the off-duty officer would occasionally play with several of the children who wait there, adding that the 10-year-old’s parents were perhaps being “overprotective.”

“He is a nice man,” Poe said. “Sometimes kids seem to get a little rough and someone passing by might think something is going on.”

A witness said the allegation against Burzumato “is ridiculous and it’s completely gone way out of line.”

Times staff writer George Ramos contributed to this story.