Ricardo Robles

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Service Record

Bakersfield California Police Department

Rank	Officer
Dates of Service	Hired approximately 2022.^[1]
Last Known Status	Administrative Leave^[2]

Incident Reports

2023 Death of Mario Lares

On January 19, 2023, Robles and Officer Travione Cobbins pursued a stolen vehicle before the chase was called off due to high speeds. Robles turned off his emergency lights, and continued the pursuit at speeds of over 100mph. As he approached the stop sign at an intersection, Robles slowed to 70mph before striking Lares' vehicle, which had the right of way.^[2]^[3]

Lares died at the scene and his passenger suffered serious injuries.^[4]

Response Timeline

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) opened an investigation.

On December 18, 2023, Robles was charged with felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and reckless driving on a highway.^[2]

On December 30, 2023, LEO Ratings reached out to the department to see if Officer Cobbins had been investigated for failing to intervene in Robles' pursuit and whether they plan to revise their policies following this incident.  They replied quickly that "a thorough investigation into the event... is ongoing" and the process "is intended to encourage continuous improvement of the organization".

The CHP investigation suggested that Cobbins may have been driving.^[5]

On January 10, 2024, Robles pleaded not guilty.^[6] ‎