L.A. Must Pay Despite Notorious Mistrial

By Danielle Briones

Published on July 22, 2005

On July 7, a judge condemned the Los Angeles Police Department for withholding evidence, which shows that former LAPD officers may have organized the 1997 murder of Notorious B.I.G.

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper said she didn't believe Detective Steven Katz. He said he forgot about these documents in his desk drawer. She declared a mistrial over these missing documents, which include:

An interview with a police informant saying officers Rafael Perez and David Mack planned the hit outside a crowded party

15 personnel complaints against Mack

The lawsuit contended these ex-officers organized the hit against Christopher Wallace, 24, better known as Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie. The suit contended the LAPD concealed the officers' involvement. The lawsuit contends Death Row Records founder Marion 'Suge' Knight may have asked officers to kill Biggie. The reason: revenge for the 1996 murder of Death Row rapper 2PAC. Some believe Biggie's associates organized 2PAC's murder.

Police Chief William Bratton denied the department had covered for Mack, currently serving a 14-year prison sentence for bank robbery, or his one-time partner Perez, the key figure in the LAPD Rampart corruption scandal.

The family must file a new lawsuit for a new trial.

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