RICHMOND, Calif. – In a tragic tale in more ways than one, a law enforcement veteran reportedly committed suicide during a traffic stop.
Officials confirmed Monday night that a nine-year veteran of the San Francisco Police Department shot and killed himself after Richmond police stopped him near Hilltop Mall, reported ABC 7 News.
SFPD officer who killed himself in his car in the parking lot of Hilltop Mall was a 9-yr-veteran who sources ID'd as Antonio Cacatianhttps://t.co/YPGfvUY3Lu
— KTVU (@KTVU) December 19, 2017
At about 1:30 p.m., a Richmond police officer conducted a traffic stop in the Hilltop Mall parking lot near J.C. Penney, spokesman Lt. Felix Tan said.
However, after the stop was made, the officer said he heard a gunshot. As a result, he retreated to cover by his patrol vehicle and called for back up.
Tan said officers were unsure what transpired since the vehicle had heavily tinted windows, which obstructed their view inside. Consequently, officers used beanbag rounds to break the windows and discovered the man dead inside.
Tan said police and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office each have opened investigations into the death.
The man’s name has not yet been released but the car the man was found in is registered to San Francisco police officer Antonio Cacatian.
Authorities told CBS San Francisco that a police officer committed suicide during the stop.
Furthermore, law enforcement sources told the news agency the officer was being investigated for sex with a minor in Las Vegas.