A Costa Mesa police officer who said he injured his hand while escorting a suspect from a patrol vehicle to jail was charged Thursday with felony counts of insurance fraud and making a fraudulent statement.
Ryan Patrick Natividad, 30, of Corona is expected to be arraigned Friday. He faces up to six years behind bars if convicted, according to Roxi Fyad of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Natividad is accused of reporting a work-related injury to his employer last Sept. 23. The officer reported that earlier in the day, he struck his fist against a wall while attempting to prevent the arrestee from stumbling into a wall, Fyad said.
“The city of Costa Mesa internally investigated Natividad’s workers’ compensation claim and uncovered evidence contradicting Natividad’s account of how and when the injury occurred,” Fyad said.
Natividad’s arraignment was rescheduled to Sept. 22.
— City News Service