2 LAPD officers accused of sexually assaulting women while on duty

An LAPD car.
(Image credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Two Los Angeles Police Department officers have been charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting four women, sometimes while on duty, prosecutors say.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office said Wednesday that James Nichols, 44, and Luis Valenzuela, 43, are set to be arraigned Thursday in connection with the case. Prosecutors say the two became partners in the Hollywood Division in December 2008, and shortly thereafter began sexually assaulting four women that they had arrested at various times on narcotics-related offenses. The assaults continued through March 2011 and occurred at different locations, including inside a police car, prosecutors say, with most taking place while the men were on duty. The victims were 19, 24, 25, and 34 years old.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.