Pubdate: Fri, 17 Sept 1999 Source: Orange County Register (CA) Copyright: 1999 The Orange County Register Contact: http://www.ocregister.com/ Author: Paul Chavez-The Associated Press MAN IMPRISONED AFTER BEING SHOT BY LAPD OFFICERS ORDERED FREED POLICE: The Release Comes On The Heels Of An Expanding Inquiry Into Alleged Police Corruption. LOS ANGELES- A 22-year-old illegal immigrant was released from prison Thursday, three years after he was shot and paralyzed by police officers who authorities say planted the weapon and fabricated the evidence used to convict him. The District Attorney's Office asked for Javier Francisco Ovando's release as a result of an investigation into police corruption that has forced the chief to suspend 11 officers and has prompted federal authorities to begin a probe of the what is believed to be one of the biggest corruption scandals in LAPD history. Ovando had been confined to a wheelchair-accessible cell at the maximum-security Salinas Valley State Prison since June 1997. He left the prison about 5:15 p.m. Immigration authorities said the LAPD asked that Ovando, a Honduran native, not be taken into federal custody and deported. Sharon Gavin, an INS spokeswoman, said the request was unusual, but added, "There hasn't been a whole lot of history on something like this." LAPD officers were at the prison to talk to Ovando and offered him a ride back to Los Angeles and he accepted, said Kati Corsaut of the Department of Corrections. She emphasized that Ovando was not in custody. "I don't particularly feel vindicated right now; it just reminds me of how victimized I felt at the time," said Ovando's public defender, Tamar Toister. "It kind of shakes everything that you believe about in everything. The system is not supposed to work like this," she said. She also suggested that at least one of the officers involved be prosecuted or shooting Ovando, which she considers attempted murder. Federal authorities announced Thursday that they would conduct their own investigation. Two internal investigations by the Police Department led to the suspension of 10 officers and one supervisor. Unidentified sources told the Los Angeles Times the officers had been dealing drugs or protecting those who were. "We will work with (Police) Chief (Bernard) Parks to learn all of the facts surrounding these incidents and to deal with them appropriately," U.S.Attorney Alejandro Mayorkas said. "It kind of shakes everything that you believe about in everything. The system is not supposed to work like this," she said. She also suggested that at least one of the officers involved be prosecuted for shooting Ovando, which she considers attempted murder. Federal authorities announced Thursday that they would conduct their own investigation. Two internal investigations by the Police Department led to the suspension of 10 officers and one supervisor. Unidentified sources told the Los Angeles Times the officers had been dealing drugs or protecting those who were. "We will work with (Police Chief (Bernard ) Parks to learn all of the facts surrounding these incidents and to deal with them appropriately," U.S Attorney Alejandro Mayorkas said. "Every day we work, every act that we have, every arrest we make, every ticket we write brings in the integrity of someone and it's our job to assure it's at the highest level we can, but we're also dealing with the human element of individuals that have to understand their responsibility to the community and this department," Parks said Thursday during a ceremony honoring slain officers. Former officer Rafael A. Perez, who pleaded guilty last week to stealing eight pounds of cocaine from an evidence locker room, has been cooperating with police as part of his own plea bargain. Perez, 32, reportedly told investigators he and former partner Nino Durden planted a 22-caliber rifle on the unarmed Ovando after shooting him in October 1996. Ovando, although he was affiliated with a street gang, had no prior criminal convictions before he was found guilty of assault on the officers. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison. All of the investigations have targeted the department's Rampart Station, which covers an eight-square-mile area just west of downtown that is home to many recent immigrants from Latin America and Asia. Residents of the community hung a banner Thursday in support of officers: "The community love the men and women of Rampart Station." Perez, a nine-year veteran, was a one-time partner of former officer David Mack, who was convicted earlier this year of bank robbery. Mack was sentenced Monday to 14 years in federal prison for robbing a Bank of America branch of $722,000 in November 1997. Mack was credited with saving Perez's life by killing a drug dealer in 1993. Prosecutors said Mack went on a spending spree after the bank robbery, including a Las Vegas trip with Perz and another officer. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D