Police Officer II Fernando Uriel Arroyos

Fernando Uriel Arroyos

Police Officer Fernando Arroyos was shot and killed as he took police action when three men attempted to rob him in the 1700 block of East 87th Street.

He and his girlfriend had stopped to look at a house that was for sale and were crossing the street when the three men got out of a vehicle and attempted to rob them at gunpoint. Officer Arroyo directed his girlfriend to safety as the men opened fire on him. He was able to return fire and shot one of the men before being mortally wounded.

Officer Arroyos was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.

Three men and one woman, all members or associates of the Florencia 13 gang, were charged federally with violating a federal racketeering statute in connection with Officer Arroyos' murder. The three men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Two men received 50 years in prison, and the third received 35 years. The female pleaded guilty to one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering and was sentenced to nine years.

Officer Arroyos had served with the Los Angeles Police Department for three years and was assigned to the Olympic Division. He is survived by his mother and stepfather.