A Los Angeles Police Department officer who was trying to meet up with a minor for obscene reasons was arrested in Monrovia after being confronted by a watchman group.
The Monrovia Police Department said the incident took place on Oct. 22 right before 10 p.m. in the 300 block of West Olive Avenue.
The man arrested was identified as Leonardo A. Ruiz. The 31-year-old was confronted by multiple men who are a part of social media group that says it defends minors who are being targeted for 𝘴єxual purposes.
Ashton Corona, who is part of this group, told KTLA he spent three days exchanging messages with Ruiz, while pretending to be a 16-year-old girl online.
“I’m just like, ‘You’re cute.’ He said, ‘Thanks. What’s your address?’ And I just sent another picture,” Corona alleged while showing the messages to KTLA.
Corona added that Ruiz also allegedly asked whether the girl’s mother would be home and talked about taking condoms.
“’I just wanna make sure your mom’s not home so nobody randomly pulls up,’” Corona relayed.
Corona said Ruiz arrived at the location they had agreed upon in their messages and the group confronted him as he tried to run away.
“I walk out the gate. He sees me, I see him. I tell him, ‘Just stop. We’re trying to just talk to you. I know why you’re here. We have all the messages,’” Corona told KTLA.
Video of the incident KTLA received showed Ruiz trying to flee the Monrovia neighborhood as multiple men ran after him yelling, “Don’t run! Don’t run!”
The group eventually got ahold of Ruiz and detained him until local police officers got to the scene.
Meanwhile, members of the group ask Ruiz why he had gone to the Monrovia location.
“Why are you here? For no reason? Why did you come here?” one of the men is heard asking in the video.
The men then discovered what looked like a photo of a police badge on Ruiz’s phone.
“It’s a cop’s phone!” one of them yelled.
Corona said the fact that Ruiz was an LAPD officer didn’t change how the Monrovia officers handled the incident.
“I heard the officer tell him, ‘Oh, we’re not gonna give you any special treatment because of that,’ and then they started telling him this is his time to tell the truth,” Corona told KTLA.
Monrovia Police told the California Post that Ruiz was charged with suspicion of violating California Penal Code section 288.4, which makes it a crime to arrange a meeting with a minor, or someone believed to be a minor, for lewd purposes.
“After an investigation, Leonardo A. Ruiz, a 31-year-old male who stated he is an employee of the Los Angeles Police Department, was arrested for an alleged violation of California Penal Code section 288.4,” department officials said.
Los Angeles County jail records confirm that Ruiz was booked into custody that evening on Oct. 22. He was later released and the investigation remains ongoing, according to Monrovia Police.
Retired LAPD Detective Moses Castillo told KTLA the department now has to verify the information that the watchman group discovered.
“The issue here is that this investigation was not conducted by law enforcement,” Castillo said. “It was conducted by a civilian group, who now the police must independently verify all the information that they have.”
Castillo said Ruiz could face two separate investigations: a criminal probe into his alleged actions and an internal LAPD inquiry to determine whether he violated department policies.
“It is very possible charges may be filed, but it’s gonna take some time,” Castillo said.
Castillo added that investigators could look into whether Ruiz had contacted other potential victims, explaining that cases involving alleged attempts to engage with minors sometimes extend beyond one individual.
“Often times when there’s one victim, there’s another, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he had been communicating with other females with the purposes of engaging in 𝘴єxual acts,” Castillo said.
The LAPD acknowledged Ruiz’s arrest in a statement to The Post, saying the agency is assisting investigators.
“We can only say that the LAPD is aware of an arrest involving an officer, and we are fully cooperating with the investigation,” Jeff Lee, a public information officer said.
Police did not disclose Ruiz’s current employment status or say whether he has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Prosecutors have yet to announce whether Ruiz will face criminal charges.
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