Reserve Deputy Who Arrested Arson Suspect Is a Real Estate Lawyer
Shervin Lalezary is a 30-year-old Beverly Hills real estate lawyer and something of a hero for his arrest of a man suspected in a Los Angeles arson spree.
Lalezary, a reserve sheriff’s deputy, joined hundreds of law enforcement officers last weekend looking for a van matching one driven by the suspect, report CNN, the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. He was on his third solo patrol when he spotted a Dodge van that fit the bill at 3 a.m. on Monday, pulled it over, and saw that the driver resembled the person of interest in the case.
Lalezary earns only $1 a year in his job as a reserve deputy, which required more than 1,000 hours of training to work solo, according to CNN and AP. He began his reserve duties in 2007, but only recently got his certification to patrol alone.
Lalezary became a lawyer in 2008 after attending the University of Southern California law school. He moved to the United States from Iran 25 years ago. “I can tell you this is a lot more exciting than my day job,” Lalezary said at a news conference.
