"Embarrassed and incredibly disappointed," says California Sheriff of the MP's sniper hoax

The deputy of a sheriff from Southern California who launched a massive manhunt while claiming to have been killed by a sniper in front of his post made his colleagues angry.

MP Angel Reinosa, a 21-year-old trainee in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, caused widespread panic and a large-scale response from law enforcement officials last week when he radioed with an emergency dispatcher and dramatically declared that he had been hit by a sniper. on the parking lot of the Lancaster Station of the Sheriff's Department. He even showed the investigators his damaged bulletproof vest, which he said saved his life, officials said.

But in a stunning turn of events, officials said Saturday that Reinosa had confessed to having made the attack by a sniper and cut a hole in his bulletproof vest to reinforce his hoax.

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"When the news was announced on Wednesday, I gave up everything I did to go to Lancaster and watch for the welfare of his deputy Reinosa," said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. in a statement released Sunday night.

Villanueva then expressed his frustration and fury because he and many members of his department and neighboring forces had to waste "unnecessary time and energy on something that did not happen. product".

"Rather than delaying reporting on what we learned another day, I thought it was urgent to share the truth with the public, and as sheriff I am responsible for my assistants and embarrassed. [and] incredibly disappointed by what this MP did, "Villanueva said in his statement. I apologize to our community and our elected officials who mobilized our support. "

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ABC News' attempts to reach Reinosa were unsuccessful.

The police are still trying to find a motive for the trick that has put the community at risk.

"Much of his statement was made for well-being and did not really make sense," said Captain Kent Wegener of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Homicide Division at a news conference. press conference Saturday.

Reinosa claimed that the blow that had hit him in the shoulder of his bullet-proof vest, while he was preparing to remove it, came from a Government subsidized apartment building located opposite the train station. search of the ghost shooter, officials said.

The fake incident occurred a week after six police officers in Philadelphia were injured when a man fired a burst of fire from the second floor of a building, sending a shock wave across the country while the suspect's clash took place on television.

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Villaneuva said the investigators were wary of the validity of Reinosa's story, but that they had to be cautious before accusing an employee of making false statements .

Once the investigators dissociated the facts from the fiction and that Reinosa confessed, the sheriff declared that he felt "obliged to share the disappointing truth" with the community, since Reinosa had "violated the public trust ".

Villaneuva said that he hoped that the actions of an individual would not tarnish the daily work of members of his agency to protect the public.

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"Like any subject that is the subject of an internal investigation, the deputy Reinosa has the right to due process," reads Villanueva's statement. "I will not tolerate anyone who deliberately violates their oath of office, makes a false police report, wastes precious resources for public safety and creates fear in the community." Those who choose to violate public trust will face minimal dismissal and a potential criminal prosecution. "

The Association of Deputy Sheriffs of Los Angeles County also issued a statement condemning "in the strongest possible terms" the hoax allegedly perpetrated by one of their union members, and allegedly apologizing for the "unnecessary pressure" imposed on the local community during the manhunt throughout the city. this included the sheriff's department deploying a helicopter with police snipers patrolling the skies.

"Not only does this discredit the department and our deputy ministers, but it jeopardizes the trust and good faith we ask the public and elected officials," reads the union's statement. "What is worse is a slap for the deputies who have been slaughtered in the performance of their tasks, as well as for the families of those who have paid the ultimate price for their services."