Torrance cops strike plea deal in swastika graffiti case that uncovered racist texts
Cody Weldin, 31, and Christopher Tomsic, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of felony vandalism each. They will spend two years on probation and must give up their right to serve as law enforcement officers in California, according to the terms of the plea. Tomsic and Weldin must also give up their firearms, complete 100 hours of community service and 15 hours of anti-racism training, and attend a tour of the Museum of Tolerance in West Los Angeles.
In 2021, the two ex-officers were accused of spray-painting a swastika inside a vehicle that had been towed from the scene of an alleged mail theft. The victim, Kiley Swaine, later filed a lawsuit accusing the officers of unlawfully searching his vehicle and expressed fear for his life because of the officers' actions, noting his grandfather was Jewish.
Tomsic and Weldin declined to be interviewed outside the courtroom, but their attorneys both said the former officers believed the plea deal was a fair resolution.
Lisa Houle said Tomsic "accepted responsibility virtually from the beginning of the case."
"He is remorseful and apologizes to the Torrance Police Department and the community for the harm he has caused and the trust that he violated," she said.
Tom Yu, who represented Weldin, said he was glad his client could "move on with his life."
A search warrant executed as part of the vandalism investigation led to a troubling discovery: hundreds of text messages in which officers used racist and homophobic slurs, joked about beating and racially profiling suspects and, in some instances, fantasized about killing Black people.
'Lucky I wasn't out and about,' one officer wrote in response to a text about Black men robbing someone in Torrance, according to records previously obtained by The Times. 'D.A. shoot team asking me why they are all hung by a noose and shot in the back of the head 8 times each.'
In another conversation about needlessly beating a female suspect, Sgt. Brian Kawamoto said he wanted to "make Torrance great again," a play on President Trump's ubiquitous campaign slogan.
"Immediately upon learning of the reprehensible allegations in this case, Torrance police detectives initiated a vigorous investigation that resulted in criminal charges, and ultimately led to today's guilty pleas," Lt. Fareed Ahmad, a department spokesman, said in a statement. "The Torrance Police Department holds its officers to the highest standards of policing, including treating all members of the public with respect as we protect the safety of our community."
A previous Times investigation which identified most of the officers on the text chain also found several officers in the group had been involved in at least seven serious use-of-force incidents in Torrance and Long Beach between 2013 and 2021. Three of those incidents ended in the deaths of Black and Latino men, according to police use-of-force records and court filings.
Read more: New racist texts reveal Torrance cops talked about hurting and killing Black suspects
Tomsic and Weldin are the first of five officers linked to the scandal to be criminally convicted. Three others are awaiting trial.
David Chandler was charged with assault for shooting a Black man in the back in 2018 while the man was experiencing a mental health crisis at his grandmother's home. The victim was brandishing a knife but not threatening anyone at the time of the shooting, according to prosecutors, who said the man was walking away when Chandler opened fire. A judge upheld the assault charges at a preliminary hearing in 2023.
Matthew Concannon and Anthony Chavez are awaiting trial on manslaughter charges in the 2018 killing of Christopher Deandre Mitchell, who was sitting in a car with an air rifle across his lap when the officers fired the fatal rounds. Mitchell, a car theft suspect, was parked in a Ralph's parking lot when he was killed.
L.A. County prosecutors initially declined to prosecute the officers, but former Dist. Atty. George Gascón reopened the case, and a grand jury indicted Conannon and Chavez in 2023. Current Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman fired the special prosecutor who brought those charges late last year, but he has appointed a replacement who is currently overseeing the case.
In the text thread, officers used the N-word to describe Mitchell's relatives, according to records previously obtained by The Times.
Read more: California attorney general to investigate Torrance police after racist text scandal
Dozens of criminal cases had to be thrown out due to the officers' remarks, and several of those involved have been fired. Aside from Tomsic and Weldin, seven other officers linked to the scandal have had their ability to be a police officer in California temporarily suspended by the state's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. A spokesman for the commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Disciplinary records from that board, which were made public earlier this year, identified Weldin as the "owner" of the group text in which many of the racist remarks were found. The group was dubbed "The Boys," records show. His attorney said that simply meant Weldin started the text thread.
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced an investigation into the Torrance Police Department in December 2021, the day The Times first revealed the contents of the text thread. None of the findings have been made public, and it is unclear what, if any, impact the probe has achieved. A spokesperson for the attorney general's office said this week they could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
Ahmad said Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart reached out to the state attorney general's office shortly after the scandal surfaced in 2021, and the department formalized an agreement with the California Department of Justice in 2022.
"We have collaborated with the DOJ throughout the process, providing full access to the department, our employees and records," Ahmad said. "The goal is to work with the DOJ to make sure the Torrance Police Department promotes public safety while at the same time ensuring that the public is treated with respect."
Times staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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