LAPD Lieutenant Has Been Arrested Twice, Still Has Job

By Sean Beckner-Carmitchel

An LAPD Lieutenant Has Been Arrested Twice; He’s Still Employed

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Lieutenant Matthew Ensley faced mounting scrutiny after an off-duty DUI crash which injured at least two people and prompted criminal charges. Prosecutors gave Ensley a plea deal which knocked down his charges from a felony to a misdemeanor, saving his job. While considering the deal, Ensley was arrested for driving with a restricted license.

Late on March 31, 2024 Ensley was arrested at the scene of a crash on the 605 Freeway in Santa Fe Springs by California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers on suspicion of felony driving under the influence. The crash left one man with a broken arm, and another complaining of a potential concussion and pain in their head. According to court records, his blood alcohol level registered at .20; more than twice the legal limit in California. 

While considering a plea deal which would save his job, Ensley was arrested again. According to Roxi Fyad, a spokesperson for the Costa Mesa Police Department, Ensley was arrested on February 20, 2025 for and cited for driving with a restricted license.

According to a police report first shared on social media by Joey Scott, when Ensley was commanded by CHP during his field sobriety test in March of 2024 he “stared blankly,” multiple times rather than complied. The CHP officer mentions in his report Ensley “stumbled,” several times during his field sobriety test and was “swaying continuously.”

Ensley, who has been with the LAPD veteran since 2004, made his initial court appearance in April 2024 at Bellflower Courthouse. According to court documents Ensley’s attorney Bill Seki requested leniency on Ensley’s bail and cited Ensley’s “community ties.” Judge Warren Kato denied the request, upholding bail at $100,000 before releasing Ensley on bond.

Despite being charged with felony DUI causing bodily injury and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .2, Ensley did not see a trial. First reported by LA Taco, prosecutors offered Ensley a deal to plead no contest to driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level over .08 causing bodily injury; a misdemeanor charge. Ensley also received five days in county jail.

“The case was initially filed as a felony based on a great bodily injury (GBI) allegation, but no GBI occurred,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s (LADA) office said to LA Taco in August. “With no priors or other felony-qualifying factors, by operation of law, it now had to be prosecuted as a  misdemeanor. We then offered a standard first-time please, including substantial community labor.”

But even while considering the plea deal, Ensley was arrested again. According to Roxi Fyad of the Costa Mesa Police Department, Ensley was once again arrested on February 20, 2025 for and cited for driving with a restricted license.

Englsey was sentenced to three years of probation. Over those three years, Ensley must abstain from using alcohol, pay a fine and submit to blood and drug tests in addition to several other probation requirements. Because Ensley was sentenced to a misdemeanor rather than a felony, he was allowed to keep his job with the LAPD.

Ensley has been recently assigned to the department’s Transit Services Division, which polices Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) buses and rails in the city. The LAPD’s personnel department confirmed to The Ten Four that Ensley remains an employee of the department.

Other than confirming Ensley still worked for the LAPD, spokespeople for the department declined to provide any additional information or comment for this piece.

Just over a year before Ensley’s arrest, former LAPD Chief Michel Moore sent an internal memo which prohibited employees from carrying their service weapon while impaired. It’s not clear if Ensley was carrying his service weapon at the time of either of his arrests. Moore wrote in January of 2023 that “Department personnel are conspicuous representatives of‘government, whose conduct is closely scrutinized.” The policy dictates that the blood-alcohol limit for officers carrying their service weapon is .04.

It’s not uncommon for officers to be suspended for alcohol-related misconduct. LAPD discipline reports regularly show more than a dozen officers with suspensions for alcohol-related incidents.

Ensley’s been accused of misconduct before, both online and in court. In 2021, R. White, an unhoused Black man, listed Ensley as a defendant in a civil rights case in US District Court. The case alleged that LAPD officers working in the Pacific Division had arrested White without a warrant. Officers then drove White to LAPD’s 77th Division, then two hospitals, and finally back to the 77th division station once again. White alleged that the officers prevented White from having contact with his lawyer. White alleges that this was done as a retaliation for having filed a previous complaint on another officer, and for White’s spouse having filed previous federal suits against the department.

The case eventually made its way through the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was dismissed with prejudice in December of 2021.

In March of 2024, Ensley accused community activist and prominent LAPD critic Jason Reedy of having a criminal record, saying he’s previously been arrested for battery. There’s no evidence Reedy had been previously arrested for battery.

In October of 2023, a detective alleged that he was sexually assaulted by other officers while a member of LAPD’s amateur football team. The claim mentions Ensley and several other prominent officers as being present. According to a legal claim, the incident happened while the detective was a rookie officer. An officer rammed an object into the then-rookie’s anus, and loudly pressured the officer to show his penis. According to the claim, an officer took the then-rookie aside after and told him “You one of us now.”

On September 2, Ensley filed a Proof of Completion for the community service and hospital service required for his sentencing. According to the filing, Ensley has set to provide completion of service for the morgue by the end of January in 2026.The Ten Four asked the LADA’s office whether the second arrest affected their deal with Ensley. Pamela Johnson, a spokesperson for the office, said “that would be a question for the judge.” The judge presiding over the case did not return a request for comment in time for this piece.