Police Evidence Is a Bit Fishy

Nine days have passed since three officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were brutalized during their vacation in southern Baja California . . . by a 330-pound yellowfin tuna. It’s one of the biggest ever caught in the popular East Cape region and took 4 1/2 hours to boat.

And while they’ve recovered enough to resume their beats, they’re still curious as to what happened to their catch.

Officers Edward Sun, Ben Gutierrez and Frank Montelongo claim someone stole 33 bags of prime tuna fillets they personally delivered to the Playa del Sol hotel ice house.

“All I know is that we counted at least 60 bags that went in, and all we got was 27 when we left,” Sun said. “We would have been more than happy to give away some of it, but for someone to take half is just wrong.”

A spokesman for the hotel said the cops cleaned and stored their own fish without involving hotel staff, to save a few bucks, and therefore could not verify any theft. He added that, as a gesture of good faith, the group had $210 knocked off its bill and might be further compensated, pending an investigation by hotel management.

It also was pointed out that not everyone in the officers’ group of 24 was on his finest behavior, and that one even spent a few hours in jail.

“That wasn’t an officer, he was an ex-Marine who got a little sideways,” said Steve Coffey, the group leader from Orange. “And he apologized profusely for his behavior.”