LAPD Officer Charged in Attack With Baseball Bat

A rookie police officer in the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division has been arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, and investigators are probing allegations that the officer may have ties to a street gang, sources familiar with the case said Tuesday.

According to those sources, investigators searched the home of Officer Peter Chong on Thursday. The sources said authorities seized weapons, including a baseball bat that police believe Chong used to pummel a young man.

Chong was arrested as he reported for work Thursday night. After the search of his home, he was booked at the Van Nuys station.

In addition to the baseball bat, sources said, police found other weapons at Chong’s home, and authorities are investigating the possibility that he may have ties to a Korean street gang. Police refused to elaborate.

However, if he is found to have such connections, it could raise grave issues for the LAPD: The department has gone to great lengths to reassure political leaders that its increased hiring in recent years has not compromised the standards of its recruits or the thoroughness of its background checks.

Darryl Mounger, a well-known criminal defense lawyer and former LAPD officer, is representing Chong. Mounger said he could not comment on the search or circumstances surrounding his client’s arrest because he had not seen the police reports detailing the case.

“They seized some property, the extent I’m not sure,” Mounger said. “I haven’t asked my client the facts yet.”

Colleagues described Chong, who graduated from the Police Academy in January, as a quiet, unremarkable officer whose time with the department attracted little notice until last week. Likewise, neighbors said Chong and his family kept largely to themselves.

Although police would not identify the victim, LAPD spokesman Cmdr. Tim McBride said that the man was a childhood friend of Chong. The victim was sent to the hospital, where he was said to be in serious condition, McBride said.

Mounger said it was his understanding that the victim had been treated for a broken arm and released.

Neither McBride nor sources close to the case would say what motive officers believe might have prompted the attack. According to the sources, the investigation of Chong was launched when the mother of the victim called police to report that her son had been attacked.

Details of the police search of Chong’s home were being closely guarded by the LAPD. The affidavit spelling out the department’s probable cause for a search warrant was sealed, and McBride would not discuss details of the case beyond providing the sketchy information of Chong’s arrest.

Similarly, Police Chief Willie L. Williams said he could not provide information about the case.

Chong posted bail, but has been relieved of duty, McBride said. He will be suspended with pay until the investigation is completed. Should he be found guilty of misconduct, he could be fired; until then, he is assigned to his home, but has been forced to turn in his badge and gun.

As details of the Chong investigation trickled through the LAPD on Tuesday, they raised a series of potentially tough questions for the organization. Chief among them is the question of the LAPD’s background checks.

Investigators are attempting to determine whether Chong had any criminal record that may have eluded authorities when he applied for a job. Existence of a record normally would be enough to eliminate a candidate from contention for a spot with the LAPD.

Police have beefed up the section that conducts background checks on police officer candidates and have made assurances that the rapid LAPD expansion has not lowered standards.

Times staff writer Beth Shuster contributed to this story.