David Mack (police officer)

David Mack
Born
David Anthony Mack

(1961-05-30) May 30, 1961 (age 63)
Compton, California, U.S.
Other namesD. Mack
Known forConvicted in connection with the Rampart police corruption scandal
Sports career
Country United States
SportTrack and Field
Event800 meters
University teamOregon Ducks
ClubSanta Monica Track Club
Sports achievements and titles
Personal bests
Police career
Country United States
Allegiance Los Angeles
Department Los Angeles Police Department
Service years1988–1997
Rank
  • Sworn in as an officer – 1988
  • Police Officer II
  • Police Officer III
  • Senior Lead Officer
Awards LAPD Medal for Heroism

David Anthony Mack (born May 30, 1961) is a former professional runner and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer involved in the Rampart Division's Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) unit. He was one of the central figures in the LAPD Rampart police corruption scandal. Mack was arrested in December 1997 for robbery of $722,000 from a South Central Los Angeles branch of the Bank of America. He was sentenced to fourteen years and three months in federal prison. Mack has never revealed the whereabouts of the money.

Early life

As an athlete, David Mack ran track for Locke High School and was champion at the CIF California State Meet at 880 yards for two years in a row.[2]

He attended the University of Oregon where he ran track with his high school rival Jeff West. After West transferred to UCLA, Mack considered following suit, but was convinced to stay at UO by coach Bill Dellinger.[3] While in college, Mack dated world record holder in the 100m & 200m, Flo Jo.[4] In 1980, as a freshman in college, he finished sixth in the Olympic Trials.[5] Mack won three Pac-10 conference titles in the 800 and in his junior year, the NCAA Division I Championship in the 800 meters.

As a professional, Mack ran for Santa Monica Track Club. He qualified for the United States national team, running the 800 metres in the 1983 World Championships in Athletics but failed to advance to the final.[6] He was the rabbit in Sydney Maree's 1500 meter world record and one week later rabbited Steve Ovett to surpass that record.[7] A stress fracture in his shin caused him to fail to make it out of the heats at the 1984 USATF Championships. In 1985 he ran 1:43.35 seconds which at the time was the second fastest time ever by an American and still ranks 9th fastest.[8] He failed to advance from the heats in the 800m at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics.[9] Beset by fatigue from iron deficiency, his last professional race was in 1988.

Bank robbery

In August 1997, Mack's lover, Errolyn Romero, became employed at a Bank of America branch near the University of Southern California campus. On November 6, 1997, Mack entered the bank and claimed he wanted to access his safe deposit box. Romero admitted him to the secure area, where he threw her to the floor and robbed the vault of $722,000.

In her capacity as branch assistant manager, Romero had ordered double the usual amount of cash to be on hand at the bank on the day of the robbery. After one month of investigation, Romero confessed to her role in the crime and implicated Mack as the mastermind.[10] He was arrested in December 1997. His two accomplices were never caught.[9][11]

Mack was sentenced to fourteen years and three months in prison and has never revealed the whereabouts of the money.[12] He was released on May 14, 2010.[13][14]

According to the Tupac documentary Assassination: Battle for Compton, citing official legal documents, a reliable jail informant by the name of Ken Boagni, who befriended Rafael Perez in prison, stated Perez claimed the money stolen in the bank robbery was intended to go to Harry Billups, also known as Amir Muhammed, who was friends with Mack, for allegedly carrying out the murder of late rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as Biggie Smalls. Because Billups failed to also murder Sean Combs, the second intended target, Billups was not paid in full by his contractors, who are identified as Reggie Wright Jr. and David Kenner. Boagni claimed both Perez and Mack were involved in the murder of Wallace, but Billups was the shooter.[15][16]

Relation to the murder of The Notorious B.I.G.

Main article: Rampart scandal

In April 2007, the estate of Christopher Wallace, a rapper who performed under the name The Notorious B.I.G., filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles, which also named Mack, Pérez, and Nino Durden as defendants.

The lawsuit alleged that the officers conspired to murder Wallace, and that Pérez and Mack were present the night of the drive-by shooting which claimed his life on March 9, 1997.[17] In 2010, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit against the city and the officers.[18]

Depictions in media

In the biography film City of Lies, David Mack is played by Shamier Anderson. The film features the 1997 bank robbery.[19]

Omar Gooding depicted Mack in the television series Unsolved.[20]

References

  1. ^ a b IAAF. "IAAF: David Mack - Athlete Profile". Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  2. ^ "California State Meet Results - 1915 to present". Hank Lawson. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  3. ^ Meek, Austin. "Austin Meek: The improbable return of David Mack". The Register-Guard. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  4. ^ Volk, Joe (2021). Stable Boy: David Mack: A Story of Struggle, Success, Shadows, and Redemption. Joe Volk. ISBN 978-0578813097.
  5. ^ Hymans, Richard (2008). "The History of the United States Olympic Trials – Track and Field" (PDF). USA Track & Field. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  6. ^ "2nd IAAF World Championships in Athletics Roma 28-Aug/06-Sep-87: 800 metres: Men: Heat". International Association of Athletics Federations. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  7. ^ Schroeder, George (2008). "Road From Eugene". The Register-Guard.
  8. ^ "U.S. All-Time List — Men". Track & Field News. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "The Murder of the Notorious B.I.G." Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. May 18, 2001. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  10. ^ "Rampart". Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  11. ^ "LAPD officer suspected in $722,000 bank robbery". Lodi News-Sentinel. Marty Weybret. December 20, 1997. p. 10. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  12. ^ "Rampart Scandal Timeline". Frontline. PBS. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  13. ^ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
  14. ^ Lawson, Edward. "Rampart". Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  15. ^ Bond, Richard (2017). Assassination: Battle for Compton (Video). Bonded Films.
  16. ^ Kooi, Brandon R. (2022). Seven highly effective police leaders : 1895-modern times. New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-429-27222-6. OCLC 1243906336.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  17. ^ Amended Complaint, Estate of Christopher G.L. Wallace v. City of Los Angeles, et al., Civ. A. No. 2:07-cv-02956-JHN-RZ (C.D. Cal. May 27, 2008).
  18. ^ Estate of Christopher G.L. Wallace v. City of Los Angeles, et al., 2:07-cv-02956-FMC-RZx, slip op. at 4 (C.D. Cal. Apr 5, 2009) (Nguyen, J.).
  19. ^ Debruge, Peter (March 18, 2021). "'City of Lies' Review: Could Johnny Depp Have the Answer to the Notorious B.I.G.'s Murder?". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "'Unsolved' launches with gripping probe of Tupac, Biggie killings".

Further reading