Ex-Claremont officer charged with sex crime against woman while on duty

By Ruby Gonzales | rugonzales@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune UPDATED: March 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM PDT

A former Claremont police officer was recently arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a woman at the Montclair Transit Center last year after she had been arrested and released from the Claremont police station.

Gabriel Arellanes, 32, is scheduled to make an appearance at Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court on April 30 on one count of forcible oral copulation, court records show.

Members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Specialized Investigations division arrested Arellanes on March 14, seven days after the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office filed the felony charge against him.

If convicted, he would face a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and lifetime registration as a sex offender, said Jacquelyn Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the DA’s Office.

Arellanes, who posted bond and was released on March 15, couldn’t be reached for comment. It wasn’t clear if he has a lawyer for the criminal case.

Jerry L. Steering, a police-misconduct attorney who represents the 38-year-old victim in a federal civil lawsuit against the former officer and the city of Claremont, lauded the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

“I have been suing the police for over 40 years and have seen many complaints of sexual assaults by police officers against women who they arrest get swept under the rug,” the lawyer said. “Often law enforcement agencies will ignore these sexual-assault complaints or mock sex-assault victims and accuse them of fabricating their claims, compounding the damage suffered by them. …

“Those investigators are to be commended for their dedication to protecting the public, and for their efforts to obtain justice for a woman who was sexually assaulted by an on-duty police officer,” Steering said.

Arellanes’ attorney on the civil lawsuit didn’t return phone calls for comment.

The Sheriff’s Department has not released details about the alleged Feb. 17, 2024, crime.

But the civil lawsuit filed in October by the victim against the city of Claremont, Arellanes and 10 other officers and city employees identified as John Does described what Arellanes allegedly did to the woman on Feb. 16 and 17 in 2024. The lawsuit identifies the woman only as Jane Doe.

She and the father of her children were “engaged in romantic activities” in the back seat of a car on Mount Baldy Road in Claremont shortly before midnight on Feb. 16, 2024, according to the lawsuit. Arellanes approached, noticed a glass pipe inside the car and ordered the couple to get dressed and get out.

Arellanes handcuffed Jane Doe and called for backup officers who arrived, the lawsuit stated. He arrested her on suspicion of possession of a methamphetamine pipe and left her companion with the car.

She was told she would be taken to the Pomona Police Department to be searched by a female officer.

On the way there, Arellanes allegedly stopped the patrol car several times, pressed Jane Doe’s handcuffed body against the side of the car with his body and groped her, according to the lawsuit. When they arrived at the Pomona police station, he allegedly asked her to perform oral sex on him and she refused, the lawsuit stated.

Jane Doe was then taken to the Claremont Police Department for booking.

While in the holding cell at the Claremont police station, Arellanes gave Jane Doe a cup of water, the lawsuit alleged, and she became disoriented.

She was cited and released. When she left the Claremont police station, Arellanes offered a ride and, without a car or money, she reluctantly took it, according to the lawsuit. Arellanes drove her to a remote area of a parking lot and forced her to orally copulate him, according to the lawsuit, before leaving her at the Transit Center.

The lawsuit seeks monetary compensation.

The city learned of the allegations against Arellanes on March 18, 2024, when a claim, a precursor to the lawsuit, was filed with the city, said Bevin Handel, a spokesperson for Claremont.

“Arellanes was immediately placed on administrative leave and his peace officer powers suspended as the allegations were investigated,” Handel said. “He remained on leave while under investigation and resigned on Jan. 29, 2025.”

Arellanes was hired as a police recruit on Jan. 3, 2022.

“The Claremont Police Department takes all accusations of misconduct very seriously and will not tolerate conduct that is inconsistent with the law, its policies, or values,” the city said in a statement.