LAPD Blog

Two Suspects Commit Two Robberies in Mid-City

Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is asking for the public’s help in identifying two suspects whose images were caught on surveillance videos committing robberies at two local businesses in the Mid-City area.  

On Nov. 03, 2010, at around 10:15 p.m., two males entered a cleaners located in the 300 block of Harvard Boulevard.  Once inside, both men punched and kicked the store owners and demanded money.  The suspects, however, were not able to get any money and ran from the scene.

On the same day, at around 11:35 p.m., the same suspects entered a restaurant located in the 3900 block of Olympic Boulevard and demanded money.  The cashier, in fear of his safety, complied with the suspects and opened the cash register. The suspects took the money ran from the scene.   

The first suspect is described as an African American male, about 20 years of age.  He stands around 6 feet tall and weighs around 150 pounds.  He was wearing a blue beanie-style cap, beige jacket, black or blue gloves and blue jean pants.  The second suspect is also described as an African American male, about 20 years old.  He is about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs around 170 pounds.  He was wearing a blue beanie-style cap, blue T-shirt, black gloves and blue jean pants.  

Anyone with information or who recognizes the suspects are urged to call LAPD’s Olympic Area Robbery Detectives at 213-382-9460.   During non-business hours or on weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAP

Gun Pointed at Officer Results in Shooting

Los Angeles:  An 18-year-old gang member, who was wanted for robbery and grand theft auto, pointed a semi-automatic handgun at a Los Angeles police officer, which resulted in an officer involved shooting.

On November 7, 2010, at about 11:00 p.m., Northeast Area police officers were patrolling the 3300 block of Gassen Place.  The officers were looking for Michael Cervantez, a known gang member who was wanted for robbery and grand theft auto in Mission Area and for an attempted robbery in Northeast Area.    

The officers observed Cervantez crossing the street in front of their patrol car.  As the officers attempted to detain Cervantez, he produced a handgun and pointed it at one of the officers.  An officer involved shooting occurred.  Cervantez ran away from the officers, uninjured by the gunfire.  He was then captured by additional responding officers.  

LAPD’s Force Investigation Division is investigating the officer involved shooting and its Criminal Apprehension Team is investigating the assault crimes committed by Cervantez.  
A semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the scene.  Cervantez was arrested and booked for assault with a deadly weapon.  No officers were injured.

In addition to the Chief of Police, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Board of Police Commissioners maintain access to, and oversight responsibilities for, all officer-involved shooting investigations.  The Department’s use of force policy is based in case law (Graham v. Connor) and requires that an officer’s actions be objectively reasonable.    

Anyone with information about this officer-involved shooting should contact Force Investigation Division at 213-486-5230.  During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.

Missing Person Notification

Los Angeles:  The family of Emelio Ortiz and the Los Angeles Police Department requests the public’s help in finding Ortiz.

Eighty-seven-year-old Ortiz was last seen on Friday evening, November 5th, 2010, near the corner of La Brea Avenue and Rodeo Road.  He had been in the area with his caretaker having dinner when he wandered off.
 
Ortiz is a Hispanic man, with gray hair, brown eyes, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing about 120 pounds.  He had been wearing a blue coat, blue shirt, tan pants, and walks with a cane.

Anyone with information related to Ortiz’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department, Missing Persons Unit, Detective Merrill 213-996-1800. During non-business hours or weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800)-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most key pads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts.

Suspect Sought in Electronics Store Robberies

Suspect’s Image Captured on Surveillance Camera

Los Angeles:  The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying and locating a suspect wanted for robbing two electronic stores.

The first robbery occurred on September 30, 2010, at about 7:15 p.m. when the suspect went into an electronics store located in the 11200 block of National Boulevard with a set of bolt cutters and a large backpack. The suspect used the bolt cutters to cut a metal chain attached to a laptop computer on display. After placing that computer and additional laptop computer in his backpack, he was confronted by a store clerk. The suspect threatened the clerk with the bolt cutters, causing the clerk to be in fear for his safety.  At that time the suspect left the store and rode off on a burgundy-colored mountain bike.

A similar robbery occurred at an electronics store on October 23, 2010, in the 8900 block of Sepulveda Boulevard.

The suspect is a male Hispanic, shaved head, 5 feet 8 inches tall, 200-230 pounds, about 25 years of age, with a tattoo on the back of his upper left arm.  In the surveillance photos, the suspect is seen wearing a black t-shirt with a large multi-colored image of the state of California on the front, blue baggy athletic shorts with a white stripe on each side and white tennis shoes.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Pacific Area Robbery Detectives at
310-482-6396.  . During non-business hours or weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800)-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most key pads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts.

Man Dies in Struggle at a Downtown SRO

Los Angeles:  Detectives are investigating the death of a man in his sixties, found in a bloody crime scene in a room of the Renato Apartments, a single-occupancy residence (SRO) in downtown’s Skid Row, located at 531 San Julian Street.

Around 7:40 PM, November 9, 2010, a woman flagged down passing officers and told them she heard men fighting in an upstairs apartment at the Renato, but she was not sure which apartment.  Two patrol officers narrowed down the fight to the fourth floor and used the manager to open room 415.

“They found a bloody mess inside, and two men all but dead,” said Lt. Paul Vernon, commanding officer the Central Detective Division.  “It appears whatever happened stayed within the apartment.”

Paramedics took one man to the hospital.  He is expected to survive and is providing some information to detectives.  Paramedics pronounced the apartment’s resident, a Hispanic man, dead at the scene.

Detectives found evidence of a struggle and at least one knife inside the small apartment.

“We’ll be talking to the surviving man to get a better idea of what happened,” Lt. Vernon explained.  “Clearly this is a homicide, and the evidence should be able to tell us which man was responsible, and as is so common, alcohol appears to have played a big part in this incident.”  Detectives did not release either man’s name.

This is the fifth homicide downtown this year.  Three of the homicides have been solved by arrests, and detectives expect to make an arrest in a fourth homicide soon.

Two more homicides have been attributed to this year when two victims in unrelated cases died years after the initial crime.  One incident was a stabbing in 2008, and the other stemmed from a fist fight last year, in which the victim hit his head on the sidewalk and never regained consciousness.

Anyone with information on this crime is urged to call Detective Al Marengo, Central Homicide Unit, at 213-842-0727.  During non-business hours or weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800)-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most key pads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts.                 

Notes from the November 9, 2024 Weekly Police Commission Meeting

•    Police Commission President John Mack said he attended the West Bureau Hispanic Community Forum last week which he said was among the best attended forums he has been too.  He added he attended the funeral services for Police Officer Joshua Cullins held last week.

•    Police Commissioner Vice President Alan Skobin said he has been attending meeting with fellow Commissioner Debra Wong Yang in regards to the ATIS audit.  He said he will report back to the full Commission in 60 days.

•    Police Commissioner Richard Drooyan also attended the West Bureau Hispanic Community Forum and said he was very impressed with the turnout.

•    Police Commissioner Robert Saltzman spoke at the Police Academy Recruit Graduation held last Friday.  He also attended the LGBT Forum held last week. Commissioner Saltzman stated the forum had an unusually large turnout and credited that to the extra outreach done by the Department.

•    Police Chief Charlie Beck thanked all those who attended the memorial service held for Police Officer Joshua Cullins last week.  He said there have been 204 Officers killed in the line of duty since the Department has kept records dating back to the early 1900’s. Chief Beck added Officer Cullins was the second Officer killed in the line of duty this year while serving in Afghanistan.

•    The verbal presentation and update from the Commanding Officer and Community Advisory Board (C-PAB) representative regarding community initiated problem solving, crime strategies, and other programs and goals within the Newton Area was given by Captain Mark Olvera and Ms. Lupe Ramos-Silva.  Ms. Ramos-Silva informed the Board the 3 goals for 2010 were to address Illegal Street vending, drinking in public and to focus on youth programs.  She added their 3 main projects for the year were National Night Out, the C-PAB Summit and the Friday Night Lights program.  Captain Olvera stated Jefferson High School, which is located in Newton Area, did not have lights on their playing fields and did not have the funding to hold games so the Newton C-PAB funded 5 games.  He finished by saying the Friday Night Lights program was a huge boost to morale at Jefferson High School.

•    The Department’s report, dated October 28, 2010, relative to transmittal of the grant application for the 2010 Internet Crimes Against Children Program Grant from the California Emergency Management Agency, was approved and transmitted to the Mayor and City Council concurrently.

•    The Department’s report, dated October 19, 2010, relative to transmittal of the grant application and award agreement for the Intellectual Property Enforcement Project 2010 Supplemental Grant from the United States Department of Justice, was approved and transmitted to the Mayor and City Council concurrently.

•    The Department’s report, dated October 29, 2010, relative to transmittal of amendment number twenty-seven to professional service agreement with Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation for the system integration services for the Emergency Command and Control Communications System Enhancement Project, was approved and transmitted to the Mayor.

•    The Department’s report, dated October 29, 2010, relative to Olympic Area Gang Enforcement Detail Command Accountability Performance Audit (IAID No. 10-056), as given by Captain Matthew Blake, was approved.  Captain Blake informed the Board this was his Division’s first CAPA audit and 4 out of the 5 objectives received a 99% or above.  However the objective of “evaluation of criminal complaint process” received a subpar rating resulting in immediate training on the issue.

•    The Department’s report, dated November 2, 2010, relative to request for information recapitulation of warrants authored and firearms seized by Gang Impact Teams, Third Quarter 2010, was approved.

•    The Executive Director’s report, dated November 4, 2010, relative to response to Budget and Finance Committee report dated October 13, 2010, relative to the City’s Billing and Collection Process, was approved and transmitted to the City Council Budget and Finance Committee.

LAPD’s Mental Evaluation Unit is Selected as a National Law Enforcement/Mental Health Learning Site

Los Angeles: The Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has selected the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mental Evaluation Unit (MEU) as one of six “Specialized Policing Responses: Law Enforcement/Mental Health” national learning sites. LAPD’s MEU has been distinguished for its successful operational strategies and progressive training advancements in the field of law enforcement response to persons suffering from a mental illness. The LAPD was also selected for its effective partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH).

The arduous selection process examined all aspects of the MEU’s operation. The focal points of interest were MEU’s training curriculum pertaining to:
      • Crisis Intervention Teams
      • Targeted School Violence
      • Crisis Communications
      • Suicide by Cop
      • Autism Awareness
      • Introduction to Mental Illness for Detention Officers
      • Introduction to Mental Illness for Dispatchers
      • Barricade Suspect In-Custody Debriefings
      • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
      • The Mentally Ill Prohibited Possessor Tracking System/Mental Health Court Liaison strategy

The System-wide Mental Assessment Response Teams and Case Assessment Management Program were also determined to be unique, progressive law enforcement/mental health response models.

As a learning site, the LAPD has demonstrated a commitment to the ten essential elements of a specialized policing response program as defined in the BJA publication entitled “Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Specialized Law Enforcement-Based Program. The Department has also maintained flexibility in the design of its programs to meet the needs of the diverse communities it serves. Consequently, for all law enforcement organizations, the LAPD will make available its MEU mental health training courses and response protocols, including those co-developed by the LACDMH, to enhance law enforcement awareness of persons suffering from mental illness and for operational replication in other communities.

Today, representatives from the LAPD and LACDMH will travel to Washington, D.C. to share the details of the MEU’s training curriculum and operational protocols with the CSGJC and other experts. Representing LAPD will be Mental Illness Project Coordinator Lieutenant II Lionel M.  Garcia, who will accept the distinction and spearhead the LAPD’s presentation.

“The LAPD is honored to receive this recognition,” said Chief Charlie Beck. “We are extremely proud of our accomplishments in the field of police response to mental illness and of our relationship with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. And we’re confident that our partnership has had a positive and significant impact on our communities.”

For more information please contact LAPD’s Media Relations Section at 213-486-5910.

COMPSTAT Citywide Profile

Crime Statistics November 6 , 2010

VIOLENT CRIMES                  2010**           2009**          % Chg

Homicide                              241*                268         -10.1%
Rape                                     670                 729          -8.1%
Robbery                               9383              10393          -9.7%
Agg Assaults **                     8006                9249        -13.4%
Total Violent Crimes           18300             20639        -11.3%

PROPERTY CRIMES

Burglary                               14271            15495          -7.9%
BTFV                                    23437            24435          -4.1%
Personal/Other Theft            22498            23886          -5.8%
Auto Theft                            14147            15348          -7.8%
Total Property Crimes        74,353          79,164         -6.1%
Total Part I Crimes             92,653          99,803         -7.2%

* Numbers reflects a change in reclassification for Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) guidelines and numbers are adjusted accordingly.

** Prior to 2005, Aggravated Assaults included Child/Spousal Simple Assaults

Missing Person Notification

Los Angeles:  The family of Maria Martinez Arias and the Los Angeles Police Department requests the public’s assistance in locating Arias.

Arias was last seen on October 30, 2010, at approximately 10:00 p.m., in the 5600 block of Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana.  According to the family Arias may become disoriented and not be able to find her way home.   

Arias is a 72-year-old female Hispanic with brown hair, brown eyes, is 5’00” and weighs approximately 165 pounds, with a small build, and medium complexion, and wears false teeth.  She was last seen wearing a red dress. 

The Department has received information that Arias may have been seen in the 100 Block of Gless Street in Hollenbeck Area.

If you have seen, or have any information regarding the whereabouts of Arias you are asked to contact the Los Angeles Police Department, Missing Persons Unit, Detective Carmine Sasso at 213-996-1800. During non-business hours or weekends, calls may be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800)-222-8477).  Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most key pads) using a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters can also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on “web tips” and follow the prompts.

41-Year-Old Missing Man

UPDATE
11-08-10

Loren John Nauta was last seen wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, a blue Hawaiian print button down shirt with white flower patterns, dark green cargo pants and dirty white tennis shoes.  He was also wearing a black fanny pack.   The family also wants to express that Nauta has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old.  Nauta is from the Paso Robles area which is four hours north of Los Angeles and is unfamiliar with the Hollywood area.

Missing person’s family will handle all press contacts.  For the contact number please call LAPD Media Relations Section at 213-486-5910

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Nauta can also call LAPD Missing Persons Unit Detective Merrill at 213-996-1800


Los Angeles.  The family of Loren John Nauta and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) are asking for the public’s help in finding the 41-year-old missing man.

Nauta was last seen at the farmers market in the area of Ivar Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard in the City of Los Angeles, he has not been seen or heard from since November 7, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.  The family is very concerned for his safety.

Nauta is described as a male Caucasian with brown hair and blue eyes.  He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Nauta is asked to call the Hollywood Area Watch Commander’s Office at 213-485-4302. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls can be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7.  Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477). Tipsters may also contact Crimestoppers by texting to phone number 274637 (C-R-I-M-E-S on most keypads) with a cell phone.  All text messages should begin with the letters “LAPD.”  Tipsters may also go to LAPDOnline.org, click on "webtips" and follow the prompts.