Former LAPD Medal of Valor winner accused of abusing minors, including 2 family members

A former Los Angeles Police Department officer may be in serious legal trouble now that he has been accused of sexually assaulting several underage boys, two of whom are related to him.

On Wednesday, Paul Razo, 46, was arrested and charged with eight counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child. The charges relate to incidents that allegedly occurred between 2006 and 2017, when Razo was a training coordinator with the LAPD, assigned to the Hollywood area.

At the time, Razo also lived in the Covina, California area and was dating a woman with two children, who were between the ages of 9 and 12 at the time. According to the Daily Mail, the two boys would “regularly” spend the night at Razo’s house, and Razo is believed to have assaulted the boys during some of those late-night visits. In addition to these boys, Razo has also been accused of molesting two male relatives who were between 11 and 13 years old at the time of the alleged assaults.

“The allegations of sexual abuse against vulnerable children in this case are deeply disturbing, and it is particularly troubling that the defendant was a law enforcement officer at the time,” said District Attorney George Gascón.

Razo spent 24 years with the LAPD and was even once awarded the Medal of Valor for his actions. In July 2016, while off duty, Razo witnessed a car crash and sprung into action, pulling the passenger out of a window after the vehicle caught fire. Unfortunately, the driver of the vehicle died on impact. Razo was awarded the medal in 2018 and “separated” from the force almost five years later in March this year. The circumstances of this separation are not clear.

Razo is currently behind bars on $2.5 million bail and remains the subject of an ongoing internal affairs and criminal investigation. “Based on the nature of the allegations and Mr. Razo’s access to the children, detectives believe there may be additional unidentified victims,” ​​sheriff’s office officials said. Those conducting the “administrative investigation” will also review Razo’s “prior employment history for similar behavior,” an LAPD statement said.

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