Two ex-Torrance officers who were allegedly involved with an incident with a mail vehicle in 2020 pleaded not guilty to the charges they face.
Two ex-police officers were charged with vandalism after a swastika was found spray-painted on a car, officials said.
In January of 2020, Christopher Tomsic and Cody Weldin, then-members of the Torrance Police Department, brought a mail truck to a tow yard after responding to a call about potential mail theft from an apartment, authorities said.
When the owner of the vehicle came to retrieve it from the lot, he said he found a happy face and a swastika painted on the seats and items “strewn throughout the vehicle," according to an announcement from District Attorney George Gascón.
Tomsic, 29, and Weldin, 28, were each charged with one felony count of vandalism and one felony count of conspiracy to commit vandalism.
Both men pleaded not guilty and are to return for a hearing at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles in October, officials said.
After this alleged incident came to light, hundreds of cases in which the two ex-officers were involved will be reviewed for any potential misconduct, officials said.
“Our office is committed to uprooting discrimination within the law enforcement ranks to preserve the integrity of the criminal legal system,” Gascón said.
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