A Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) lieutenant, Matthew M. Ensley, was charged with two felonies on Wednesday after allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and causing an injurious accident in Santa Fe Springs. Ensley, 44, pleaded not guilty to the charges during his initial court appearance in Bellflower, after which he was freed upon posting a bail of $100,000.

The LA County District Attorney’s Office charged Ensley with one count of driving under the influence causing injury, and another count for driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08% causing injury. The DA’s office also included allegations of causing “bodily injury or death to more than one victim” and “driving with a .15% BAC or refusing to take a chemical test.”

Neither Ensley nor his attorney could be reached for comments immediately. Currently, Ensley is serving as a lieutenant, according to a statement from the LAPD that referred further inquiries about the arrest to the California Highway Patrol (CHP). Jail records indicate Ensley was apprehended by CHP officers late on the night of March 31. The specifics of the incident that led to his arrest have not been provided by the CHP.

At the time of the incident, Ensley was off-duty and assigned to the LAPD’s transit services division, as confirmed by department officials. As per LAPD records, he was involved in a gunfight alongside another officer with a man at the Ramona Gardens housing complex in Boyle Heights in 2009.

LAPD public disciplinary disclosures reveal that since January 2023, a minimum of 22 LAPD officers have been penalized for drunk driving. This data includes two officers being discharged and two others resigning.

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