Fired Manhattan Beach Police Officer Eric Eccles' quest to gain his job back goes before a judge Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles.
Eccles was fired in March 2011 along with former MBPD officers Richard Hatten and Kristopher Thompson for their involvement in a January 2010 hit-and-run collision after drinking in a bar for a reported seven hours. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigated the officers' conduct, issuing a report that was used to terminate the three men.
Hatten and Thompson initially attempted to battle their terminations but soon signed off on the matter.
The hit-and-run collision and subsequent aftermath also involved on-duty Manhattan Beach Police Department officers whose actions were investigated, as well. Officer Jeff Goodrich who responded to the dispatch about the hit-and-run incident died from brain cancer Nov. 30, 2010. Then Lt. Bryan Klatt, the watch commander when the collision occurred, was demoted two ranks to officer and is a motorcycle officer with the department.
Court documents reveal that Capt. Derrick Abell advised then Chief of Police Rod Uyeda to fire Eccles for misconduct and intentional dishonesty based upon the investigation and Skelly process, which allows an employee to respond to allegations before any actual disciplinary action is imposed.
Court documents filed by attorneys for the city detail the reasons for Eccles' termination and much of what transpired before and after Hatten drove his Corvette into the rear of an Audi that then hit a Honda Fit. Thompson sat in the Corvette passenger's seat with Eccles on his lap.
Hatten and his passengers did not stop at the collision scene, leaving the Corvette nearby. When one of the drivers involved in the collision saw the Corvette, the person called MBPD.
Goodrich, realizing the vehicle belonged to fellow officer Hatten, asked the watch commander to come to the scene. Neither officer had the Corvette impounded, standard operational procedure for an abandoned hit-and-run vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, Uyeda placed each of the five officers on administrative leave pending the sheriff's investigation.
In criminal proceedings, the district attorney's office filed a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge against Hatten, who pleaded no contest and was sentenced to three years probation and 45 days of roadwork.
For a full report, read here or see the attached court documents.
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