LAPD commander on home duty after leaving car at Carson crash scene, officials say

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles Police Department commander has been assigned to home duty after abandoning his city-issued vehicle following an early-morning crash in Carson, officials say.

Multiple sources tell Eyewitness News the person is Jeff Nolte, a commander with the LAPD's Force Investigation Group.

The LAPD and CHP are investigating why the Dodge Charger was left in the area of 213th Street and Avalon Boulevard around 4 a.m. Friday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies say when they found the abandoned Charger it had clearly been involved in a traffic collision and was missing a tire.

Sheriff's department investigators contacted LAPD officers, who recovered the vehicle.

The LAPD released a statement saying it is investigating the traffic collision:

"The Department employee was not injured in the crash and we don't believe anyone else was involved in the incident. We are currently working with the California Highway Patrol to determine the nature of the crash. The Employee has been assigned home pending the outcome of the investigation."

Nolte has been with the LAPD since 1988, working his way up the ranks to become a captain in the Rampart Division in 2015, and then becoming the commanding officer there the next year.

He was assigned to Operations-South Bureau in 2018 as a commander.

The department's Force Investigation Group investigates incidents involving the use of force that result in death or serious injury.

Nolte's LAPD bio says he has received several awards and commendations in his career, including the Excellence in Leadership award in 2016 for his work at Rampart.