61°F
weather icon Windy

San Francisco officer under criminal probe in Las Vegas kills himself

SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco police officer who killed himself after being pulled over by police in a neighboring city was under investigation for child sexual abuse in Las Vegas, authorities said Tuesday.

Antonio Cacatian, 49, shot himself Monday afternoon after San Francisco police requested help arresting him. Police in the nearby city of Richmond, where Cacatian lived, pulled him over in a shopping mall parking lot and officers retreated to their cars when they heard a gunshot, Lt. Felix Tan said.

Tan said the windows of Cacatian’s vehicle were tinted and officers could not see inside. One used a gun that fires beanbags to break a window and discovered Cacatian’s body inside.

Cacatian was under investigation over allegations that he may have committed sexual acts with a child under the age of 14 in 2014, spokeswoman Laura Meltzer of Las Vegas’ Metropolitan Police Department told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Cacatian apparently knew the child, Meltzer said.

Detectives hadn’t secured a warrant for his arrest but informed San Francisco police about the case last week, Meltzer said.

Cacatian was a 9-year veteran of San Francisco’s police department.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Slow UCLA response to violence questioned

LOS ANGELES — On the morning before a mob attacked a pro-Palestinian student encampment at UCLA, campus Police Chief John Thomas assured university leadership that he could mobilize law enforcement “in minutes” — a miscalculation from the three hours it took to actually bring in enough officers to quell the violence, according to three sources.

Holy Fire ceremony marked amid war’s backdrop

JERUSALEM — Bells and clamor, incense and flames. One of the most chaotic gatherings in the Christian calendar is the ancient ceremony of the “Holy Fire,” with worshippers thronging the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday.

A new sea route for Gaza aid is on track, USAID says

Preparations are on track in Gaza for humanitarian workers to be ready to deliver food, treatment for children and other assistance by mid-May, a USAID official said.

Houthis threaten to try to attack ships in Mediterranean Sea

The Houthi terrorist group based in Yemen threatened to start trying to attack ships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as it steps up a campaign of anti-Israeli assaults.