LAFD Assistant Chief Kristina Kepner was accused of brutally assaulting ex-girlfriend... who claims boss Crowley 'covered it up' and promoted her

A elder official astatine the Los Angeles Fire Department made 'homicidal and suicidal' threats, strangled and chased her woman with a carving knife, tribunal documents claimed.

LAFD adjunct chief Kristina 'Kady' Kepner past wrote a termination enactment aft cutting herself according to a 2021 domestic violence restraining bid filed by the ex successful a Los Angeles court.

During an statement astatine their home, the LAFD authoritative allegedly 'lunged' astatine her ex and began strangling her, portion saying that she was going to "f***ing kill" her, the November 17, 2021, tribunal filing said.

A justice dismissed some claims successful February 2022, and LAFD says it investigated and cleared Kepner, who is presently successful complaint of the department's Emergency Operations Center.

But the unit allegations person present resurfaced amid disapproval of LA City's apical brass implicit this month's wildfires that wiped full neighborhoods disconnected the map.

The ex claimed that Kepner enactment her successful a headlock, knocked her to the level and forcibly kissed her, and that aboriginal that time she allegedly started waving a 'large butcher knife' around, 'holding it up to her [own] cervix and thorax threatening to stab herself successful the bosom oregon neck' – past wrote a termination note.  

The alleged threats and attempted strangling were caught connected video, the tribunal documents claimed, and included screenshots from the alleged footage.

Kepner told DailyMail.com her ex had ‘orchestrated a run to effort to ruin my career’ with ‘bogus’ claims.

Kepner’s attorney, John Fowler, added that the claims were ‘false’ and his client, an ‘experienced and respected leader’ successful LAFD, had been ‘exonerated successful aggregate forums’ including the occurrence department, constabulary and the District Attorney’s office. 

DailyMail.com agreed to support the 48-year-old ex anonymous, arsenic she's an alleged unfortunate of home violence. 

Kepner's job, which reportedly progressive oversight of HR complaints and misconduct probes, earned her much than $500,000 successful 2023.

The LAFD official, 49, said successful her ain tribunal filings that her ex was lying astir the unit and had herself attacked and harassed Kepner, which the ex denied.

DailyMail.com interviewed Kepner's ex, who claimed that LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley knew astir the alleged maltreatment and continued with plans to beforehand Kepner anyway.

The ex accused Crowley and LA Mayor Karen Bass of a 'cover up'.

'I did connection Kristin Crowley successful 2022 and I fto her cognize that I person it connected video, that Kady threatened to termination maine – she attacked me,' Kepner's ex told DailyMail.com.

'Crowley went up with plans to beforehand her anyway.'

A memo by Crowley dated January 5, 2022, announced Assistant Chief Kepner arsenic the adjacent commandant of 1 of 4 LAFD bureaus, a apical relation successful the department.

But after section writer Daniel Guss publicly revealed immoderate of the maltreatment claims connected his blog successful March 2023, Kepner's planned promotion was allegedly rescinded.

Guss sent the communicative to Mayor Bass's bureau and got receipts saying his emails were read.

'Two weeks aboriginal the guys successful the section were telling maine that she's nary longer to beryllium a lawman chief,' the ex-girlfriend claimed successful an interrogation with DailyMail.com.

'I'm definite Karen Bass called Kristin Crowley like, "what the f*** is this?" Then 2 weeks aboriginal Kady gets demoted,' she added, referring to Kepner's promotion allegedly being rescinded.

'Bass and Crowley decidedly covered that up.'

The Mayor and Fire Chief did not respond to requests for comment. 

Kepner's LinkedIn page says she has remained an 'assistant chief' since 2019, with nary notation of the 2022 promotion.

She earned $483,000 successful 2022 and $521,000 successful 2023 successful that role, including overtime and benefits, according to information from Transparent California.

The November 17, 2021, filing by Kepner's ex claimed that during an statement astatine their home, the LAFD authoritative 'lunged' astatine her, began strangling her, portion "saying that she was going to f***ing kill" me'.

The ex said she filmed the onslaught and enactment screenshots allegedly from the footage successful her tribunal filing.

The ex besides claimed successful her tribunal documents that Kepner enactment her successful a headlock, knocked her to the level and forcibly kissed her.

'As she was connected me, she started forcefully starting jamming her lingua successful my mouth,' the filing said. 'She was saying thing like, "you emotion maine truthful overmuch present you privation to buss me".' 

Later that day, Kepner allegedly started waving a 'large butcher knife' around, 'holding it up to her cervix and thorax threatening to stab herself successful the bosom oregon neck', and past wrote a termination note.

Kepner allegedly slashed the weapon crossed her chest, drafting blood, portion the ex was 'pleading with her to delight stop'. 

A transcript of the alleged enactment was included successful the filings, on with a photograph of Kepner sitting penning with a ample weapon connected the level beside her, and an evident chopped connected her chest

'I americium penning this missive to accidental I’m atrocious to a fewer radical successful my beingness who I cognize volition miss me,' the alleged termination enactment said.

Kepner allegedly ended the enactment by saying: 'At the extremity of the time this was my decision, and excavation alone. While [the ex] is the 1 who caused maine to break, I made this choice.'

The ex claimed that erstwhile she went down the thoroughfare to Kepner's mother's location for help, the LAFD authoritative went 'chasing aft me, with the weapon that had been connected the floor'.

She said Kepner taunted her, claiming instrumentality enforcement would broadside with the firefighter not the girlfriend.

'She told maine nary 1 would judge maine due to the fact that she was successful the occurrence department,' the ex wrote successful the filing.

Kepner denied it each astatine the time, penning successful a January 31, 2022, tribunal filing: 'I was ne'er abusive towards her. I person ne'er physically harmed her and person nary past of unit oregon abuse.'

Kepner said the turbulent mates began dating successful April 2018 and moved successful unneurotic 7 months later.

She claimed they had divided a twelvemonth earlier the restraining bid filing, but that the woman refused to determination retired of the location Kepner owned.

'I ne'er strangled [the ex] oregon adjacent enactment my hands astir her neck,' the adjunct main wrote.

'The lone crushed I had a weapon adjacent to maine successful my location was due to the fact that I was contemplating harming myself arsenic I had nary different mode retired of this abusive relationship.'

Kepner besides filed her ain home unit restraining bid against her ex connected October 25, 2021.

She accused the ex of kicking her and shoving her to the crushed successful the October 2021 altercations, putting a tracker connected her car, gaining entree to her iCloud relationship without support and threatening to ruin her vocation with videos of their fights.

The ex denied the claims. 

Kepner's restraining bid petition was initially granted and constabulary removed the ex from her home, but the justice dismissed some women's cases aft a February 4, 2022, hearing, adding the ex 'did not prolong the applicable load of proof' for a caller restraining order.

Kepner's ex besides filed a study with LAPD. Guss's blog reported successful 2023 that constabulary investigated and referred the lawsuit to the territory attorney, but the bureau declined to record charges.

In a connection to Guss successful 2023, the occurrence section initially denied cognition of the home unit claims, past gave an updated statement.

On March 8, 2023, a spokesperson wrote to Guss, claiming: 'The Department has not received accusation astir an alleged home unit incidental involving [...] Chief Kepner.'

But erstwhile helium followed up showing them helium had grounds to the contrary, the spokesperson changed their tune 2 hours later.

'The complainant made allegations against Chief Kepner successful precocious 2021. The Fire Department conducted a afloat and thorough probe of the home unit claims, which were unsubstantiated,' the caller connection to Guss said.

'Chief Kepner was elaborate to different bureau during the people of the investigation.

'In addition, the complainant pursued transgression charges against Chief Kepner, which were dismissed.'

She claimed to DailyMail.com that the probe into her claims was flawed from the opening due to the fact that Kepner was successful complaint of the LAFD's interior affairs division.

'When the section contacted maine to fundamentally interrogation maine for the incident, I refused to cooperate with them due to the fact that I didn't consciousness that her peers of 20-30 years should beryllium investigating her,' the erstwhile woman said.

'They're adjacent radical that worked for her, due to the fact that she did, and presently inactive does, tally the Professional Standards Bureau, which fundamentally is their interior affairs for the occurrence department.

'I was saying you guys person to nonstop this to a 3rd party, a instrumentality steadfast oregon something. Your friends shouldn't beryllium investigating this.'

In a connection to DailyMail.com, Kepner said her ex was ‘vindictive’ and that the claims were investigated and dismissed.

‘Since I was a young miss each I ever wanted to go was a firefighter. I dedicated my beingness done training, acquisition and hard enactment to service my hometown community,’ she said.

‘Now, a vindictive ex-partner has orchestrated a run to effort to ruin my vocation arsenic good arsenic the lives of my friends and loved ones. I cooperated afloat with investigators who recovered that her claims were bogus and declined to record charges.

‘I person tried to enactment retired of the mode and let the ineligible process to adjudicate the facts, but I won't basal by silently successful the look of unending attacks connected the radical who I emotion and admire.’

Kepner’s attorney, John Fowler, said Kepner’s ex ‘time and again […] utilized manipulation and deceit to effort to exert power implicit a pistillate who nary longer wants to beryllium a portion of her life.’

‘Kristina Kepner has been subjected to harassment and relentless mendacious claims,’ Fowler added. ‘She was exonerated successful aggregate forums including constabulary reports, restraining orders, the findings of an LAFD probe which determined [the ex’s] allegations to beryllium unsubstantiated, and the District Attorney's determination declining to record charges.

‘Ms. Kepner is simply a decorated person successful the Los Angeles Fire Department who has ne'er faced immoderate nonrecreational complaints successful her decades of service, and now, much than ever, the City of Los Angeles needs experienced and respected leaders similar Ms. Kepner connected the job.’