LAPD officer stole truck from dealership and kept it for a year, police say

Detectives probing a year-old theft of a pickup truck from a Southern California auto dealership found the stolen vehicle Monday night — in a Los Angeles Police Department parking lot.

Investigators arrested Officer Matthew Calleros, 45, in the parking lot of the LAPD Hollenbeck station after his shift ended on suspicion of auto theft and possessing a stolen vehicle, KABC reported.

On Oct. 25, 2019, Calleros reportedly walked onto an auto dealership lot in Orange and asked to see paperwork on a $29,000 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, KTLA reported.

“Before I got to the office doors, I heard the hood shut,” said Gino Gonzalez, a sales manager at B&J Car Company, according to the station. “I turned around and he was already climbing into the truck, and he proceeded to drive off.”

Security cameras at the dealership caught the theft on video, KABC reported.

Detectives with the Orange Police Department developed a lead and investigated Calleros, leading to his arrest at 7:15 p.m. Monday, a Facebook post by the department says.

The LAPD and Orange County district attorney are cooperating in the investigation, police wrote on Facebook.

Calleros, a 20-year veteran of the LAPD, has been assigned to his home and relieved of his peace officer powers, KCBS reported.

“It’s troublesome,” Gonzalez said, according to the station. “I mean, you figure there are a lot of criminals out there, you’d never think an officer of the law who is hired to (defend) and protect would be doing stuff like that. It takes me by surprise.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 9:14 AM with the headline "LAPD officer stole truck from dealership and kept it for a year, police say."