Rafael Pérez (police officer)
Rafael Pérez | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rafael Antonio Pérez August 22, 1967 |
| Other names | Ray Lopez |
| Spouse(s) | Lorri Charles (1985–1993) Denise Aubry (1993–2006) |
| Police career | |
| Allegiance | Los Angeles |
| Department | Los Angeles Police Department |
| Service years | 1989-1998 |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer (1989) Police Officer II Police Officer III (1994) |
| Other work | Convicted in connection to the LAPD Rampart Scandal (plea bargain), government witness |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1985–1989 |
Ray Lopez (born Rafael Antonio Pérez; August 22, 1967) is an American former police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the central figure in the LAPD Rampart scandal. An officer with the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) task force, Pérez was involved in numerous crimes and corruption, notably the shooting and framing of Javier Ovando, in addition to the theft and resale of at least $800,000 of cocaine from LAPD evidence lockers.
Pérez is accused of being a member of the Bloods, a Los Angeles criminal gang, and of murdering The Notorious B.I.G. at the behest of producer Suge Knight of Death Row Records. When Pérez was finally arrested, he implicated 70 other Rampart Division officers in various forms of misconduct, ranging from bad shootings to consuming alcohol while on duty. Over 100 convictions were overturned based on Pérez's testimony.