Officer Profile

Antonio Vargas

Agency: LAPD
Rank: Police Officer III (SLO)
Division: Northeast 
Serial: 36521
Badge: —-
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Age: 48
Employee Pay & Benefits (2023): $287,922

Misconduct

LAPD Senior Lead Officer Antonio Vargas and his partner, Antonio Hernandez, stopped an activist and unlawfully detained him for allegedly “spitting on the sidewalk.” The officers informed the individual that his detention was based on a supposed violation of section 10.56.070 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code before issuing him a ticket.

However, the issue is that “spitting on the sidewalk” is not an infraction under any part of the Los Angeles Municipal Code. In fact, section 10.56.070 does not even exist. It appears the officers may have conducted a quick internet search for “spitting on the sidewalk” and mistakenly cited a violation related to codes from another jurisdiction.

As a result, the detention was unlawful, and the ticket issued was fundamentally inaccurate.

LAPD officer Vargas unlawfully detaining and ticketing pedestrian

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