District Attorney forms task force to investigate horse deaths at Santa Anita Racetrack

District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced Tuesday that she has formed a task force to investigate the horse deaths at Santa Anita Racetrack. The news comes in light of the deaths of 23 horses at the facility since Dec. 26. “I have formed a task force of experienced deputy district attorneys and sworn peace officers with varied expertise within my office who will thoroughly investigate and evaluate the evidence to determine whether unlawful conduct or conditions affected the welfare and safety of horses at Santa Anita Park,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey said. Demonstrators from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protested outside the district attorney's downtown Los Angeles office just over a month ago to urge a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the horses' deaths, with a D.A.'s spokesman saying soon afterward that investigators had been assigned to work with the California Horse Racing Board. Santa Anita issued a statement saying it has been working cooperatively with investigators from Lacey's office. "Santa Anita has, is and will continue to fully cooperate with the district attorney's investigation,'' according to the track statement...MORE