SAN GABRIEL >> Police arrested a Gabrielino High School assistant track coach and 1984 Olympic silver medalist on Friday suspicion of contacting a student with the intent of committing a sex crime, officials said.
Danny Lee Harris, 51 of Pasadena was arrested shortly after noon, according to San Gabriel Police officials and Los Angeles County booking records.
He has been relieved of his duties with the San Gabriel Unified School District as a walk-on coach since May 17, at the outset of the investigation, San Gabriel Police Lt. Riki Nakamura said.
The walk-on assistant track and field coach won a Silver Medal in the 400-meter hurdles during the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and also famously ended the decade-long winning streak of Edwin Moses in 1987. He has been profiled many times for his struggles to overcome adversity and addiction in his rise to athletic fame, most recently in the 2016 documentary film “Crossing the Line.”
Harris is accused of contacting a female student at the school for the purpose of committing a sexual offense, San Gabriel police officials said in a written statement. The communications were in an electronic format, however, investigators declined to discuss the specifics of the case.
“The police department has been working closely with the San Gabriel Unified School District following a report of alleged inappropriate contacts between the walk-on athletic coach and a district student,” according to the police statement. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services was notified of the investigation.
Police took Harris into custody without a struggle, Nakamura said.
No further details were released Friday as the investigation continued, and investigators continued seeking any potential additional victims, Nakamura said.
“The school district and the police department are working together to ensure the safety of students remains of utmost importance,” the police statement said. “We will continue to work closely together as this issue moves forward.”
San Gabriel Unified School District officials were not available to comment on Friday.
According to Los Angeles County booking records, Harris was being held in lieu of $150,000 bail at the Alhambra Police Department’s jail pending his initial court appearance, scheduled Tuesday in the Alhambra branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Anyone with information is urged to contact San Gabriel police at 626-308-2828. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
BOOKING PHOTO [ABOVE]: Courtesy of the South Pasadena Police Department
RACE PHOTO [BELOW]: U.S. runner Danny Harris raises his fist in victory after he beat World recordman Edwin Hoses in a 400 meter hurdle race of an International Autonomous Region of Madrid Track and Field meet in Madrid, Spain on Thursday, June 4, 1987. This was the first time Moses lost in a decade. (AP Photo/Dominique Mollard)