A Los Angeles police officer was arrested after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the U.S.-Mexico border allegedly found someone hiding in the officer’s car when they stopped him for questioning Saturday night, law enforcement sources confirmed to the NBC News Investigative Unit.
The officer was taken into custody at 6:30 p.m. by CBP at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry south of San Diego.
A 34-year-old man was driving a 2014 Nissan Juke with a 31-year-old woman in the passenger seat, officers confirmed Monday. Both were U.S. citizens and both provided passports to officers.
During secondary inspection, officers say they discovered a 26-year-old man hidden in the trunk. The man was a Mexican citizen with no legal ability to enter the United States, according to a CBP news release.
The driver was identified as a Los Angeles police officer. His name was not released, but officials confirmed he was assigned to the LAPD’s Hollywood Division. The officer faces possible human smuggling charges.
LAPD Commander Andrew Smith, a department spokesman, declined to comment on the arrest, deferring questions to federal authorities.
The arrest came on the heels of another LAPD officer being linked to a crime. Officer Henry Solis, a rookie assigned to the department’s Devonshire Division, was named as a person of interest in the fatal shooting a 23-year-old Ontario man early Friday morning.
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NBC4's Willian Avila contributed to this report.
