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.
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who → try → 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.
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incident → say → Avenue
The man arrested was identified as Leonardo A. Ruiz.
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man → arrest → Ruiz
The 31-year-old was confronted by multiple men who are a part of social media group that says they defend minors who are being targeted for sexual purposes.
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who → confront → purposes
Ashton Corona, who is part of this group, told KTLA that he spent three days exchanging messages with Ruiz, while pretending to be a 16-year-old girl online.
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he → tell → Ruiz
“I’m just like, ‘You’re cute.’
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You → ’m → ?
He said, ‘Thanks.
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He → say → ?
What’s your address?’
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address → ’ → ?
And I just sent another picture,” Corona alleged while showing the messages to KTLA.
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Corona → send → KTLA
Corona added that Ruiz also allegedly asked whether the girl’s mother would be home and talked about taking condoms.
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mother → add → condoms
“I just wanna make sure your mom’s not home so nobody randomly pulls up,’” Corona told KTLA that Ruiz asked.
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Ruiz → make → KTLA
Corona said that Ruiz arrived at the location they had agreed upon in their messages and the group confronted him as he tried to run away.
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he → say → him
“I walk out the gate.
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I → walk → gate
He sees me, I see him.
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I → see → him
I tell him, ‘Just stop.
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I → tell → him
We’re trying to just talk to you.
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We → try → you
I know why you’re here.
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you → know → ?
We have all the messages,’” Corona told KTLA.
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Corona → have → KTLA
Video of the incident that KTLA received showed Ruiz trying to flee the Monrovia neighborhood as multiple men ran after him yelling, “Don’t run!
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men → receive → him
The group eventually got ahold of Ruiz and sustained him until local police officers got to the scene.
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officers → get → scene
Meanwhile, members of the group ask Ruiz why he had gone to the Monrovia location.
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he → ask → location
Why did you come here?” one of the men is heard asking in the video.
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one → come → video
The men then found on Ruiz’s phone what looked like a photo of a police badge.
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what → find → badge
“It’s a cop’s phone!” one of them yelled.
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one → ’ → them
Corona said that the fact that Ruiz was an LAPD officer didn’t change how the Monrovia officers handled the incident.
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officers → say → 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.
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Corona → hear → KTLA
Monrovia Police told the California Post that Ruiz was charged with suspicion of violating California Penal Code section 288.4.
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Ruiz → tell → section
That California law involves arranging a meeting with a minor, or someone believed to be a minor, for lewd purposes.
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law → involve → 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.
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officials → state → section
Los Angeles County jail records confirm that Ruiz was booked into custody that evening on Oct. 22.
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Ruiz → confirm → Oct.
He was later released and the investigation remains ongoing, according to Monrovia Police.
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investigation → release → Police
Retired LAPD Detective Moses Castillo told KTLA that the department now has to verify the information that the watchman group discovered.
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group → tell → that
“The issue here is that this investigation was not conducted by law enforcement,” Castillo said.
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Castillo → conduct → enforcement
“It was conducted by a civilian group, who now the police must independently verify all the information that they have.”
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they → conduct → that
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.
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he → say → policies
“It is very possible charges may be filed, but it’s gonna take some time,” Castillo said.
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Castillo → file → time
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.
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cases → add → 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 sexual acts,” Castillo said.
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Castillo → ’ → acts
The LAPD acknowledged Ruiz’s arrest in a statement to the California 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.
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Lee → acknowledge → investigation
Police did not disclose Ruiz’s current employment status or say whether he has been placed on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
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he → disclose → investigation
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
