Former Police Officers Ordered To Trial Over Swastika Found Painted On Impounded Car
Two former police officers in Torrance, California, were ordered this week to stand trial after being accused of spray painting a swastika on a suspect’s impounded car, The Daily Bulletin reports.
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In January 2021, Torrance police officers Christopher Tomsic, 31, and Cody Weldin, 30, responded to reports of men stealing mail from an apartment building’s mailbox; after an investigation, a car allegedly used in the thefts, a 2004 Hyundai Elantra, was found, belonging to one Kiley Swaine. Swaine was arrested and the Elantra towed and impounded. While Swaine wasn’t charged, when he picked up his Elantra from impound he found a swastika and a smiley face spray painted on it.
A tow truck driver had reportedly witnessed officers Tomsic and Weldin painting the car as it was being held. A trove of racist and anti-semitic text message exchanges between 13 other officers in the department was also found in the course of the investigation. Both Tomsic and Weldin now are no longer employed by the department. Each faces felony charges of one count of vandalism totaling more than $400 in damage and conspiracy to commit vandalism.
The Daily Bulletin reports that pre-trial motions in the case still aren’t quite over.
Superior Court Judge Craig Richman denied a defense motion to dismiss the case against Christopher Tomsic, 31, and Cody Weldin, 30, who are charged with one felony count each of vandalism with more than $400 in damage and conspiracy to commit vandalism.
The judge said there were two estimates of about $2,500 to repair the damage to the car, acknowledging that prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that the car’s owner wound up paying about $10 to remove the paint. The judge also noted that protein powder and cereal were tossed all over the car in what he described as “malicious mischief.”
Tomsic’s attorney, Lisa Houle, said she plans to file a motion asking another judge, Sam Ohta, who has been assigned the case, to dismiss charges against her client based on the evidence presented during the preliminary hearing.
Swaine sued the city for $6 million in a federal lawsuit and later settled for $750,000. Torrance Police Chief Jeremiah Hart took a firm stance against the actions of the officers. “Let me be clear, I will aggressively pursue any form of racism, bigotry, hate, or misconduct at the Torrance Police Department,” Hart said at a press conference.
