Man Caught Pulling Off Blue Ribbons From Fallen Officers

An investigator associated with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation lost his former partner, San Luis Obispo Police Detective Luca Benedetti, during the duty last week. He was shot and died on the spot following the injury sustained in the line of duty.

The investigator, who was on his way to drop off Luca Benedetti’s widow, witnessed an upsetting crime.

The Incident

A civilian was cutting off the blue ribbons that lined down the street with a pair of scissors. The ribbons were put in place to honor the brave life of Benedetti and were installed in the areas of Osos and Mill Streets in San Luis Obispo.

The an apparently had a 13-gallon trash bag full of similar ribbons, and all these unfortunate incidents happened right in front of Benedetti’s widow.

The investigator immediately confronted the man by letting him know that his actions were illegal and came under the category of punishable offenses. But the investigator was dressed in civilian clothing for the mourning ceremony, and therefore, wasn’t easily identifiable as a servant of the law. The man then tossed the trash bag at the investigator and walked away.

The man was wearing a face covering, and the investigator tried to remove it off his face to identify him. While doing so, it left a mark on his face. After having a brief conversation with the nearby civilians who witnessed the whole incident, the investigator contacted the San Luis Police Station to report what happened.

Aftermath

After some time, the investigator saw the man removing the ribbons from parking slots. This time, the investigator identified himself as a peace officer and then detained the man so as to prevent him from repeating the act.

When other police officers confronted the man, he answered all the queries cooperatively and in an apologetic tone. Apparently, he didn’t understand the importance of those particular ribbons. Later, the man was released, and no charges were pressed against him.

Any unauthorized removal or destruction of public property in any way can be considered a crime of theft or vandalism. If caught for similar charges, it is always recommended to get in touch with San Luis Obispo Personal Injury Lawyers to be sure that you have someone who knows the law well by your side at all times. In this case, as the man didn’t know what he was doing, he was relieved from the above charges. But the District Attorney’s Office reported that they are reviewing the case internally for the time being.