The official told The Associated Press that prosecutors will file a criminal complaint against Dr Conrad Murray in court rather than go through a secret grand jury.
The person is not authorised to speak publicly about the case and only spoke on condition of anonymity.
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The complaint would be the prelude to a public hearing in which a judge would weigh testimony from witnesses to decide if there is cause to try him on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Jackson died June 25 from an anesthetic overdose. Murray maintains nothing he gave Jackson should have killed him.
Murray may surrender
Michael Jackson's doctor is in Los Angeles, anticipating a decision by the district attorney's office on whether to charge him in the singer's death.
The spokeswoman for Dr Conrad Murray's attorney said that Murray arrived in Los Angeles last weekend and one of his lawyers plans to join him.
Miranda Sevcik says the district attorney hasn't shared plans for announcing its intentions but Murray wants to be available if he's needed.
Celebrity news website TMZ.com, which first broke the news of Jackson's death is reporting that Murray is planning to surrender in a LA court appearance before any charges are laid.
The doctor has also met with his defense team, the website reports.
