LAPD Officer Arrested in Monrovia for Allegedly Seeking to Meet Minor

A 30-year-old Los Angeles police officer was arrested after allegedly arranging to meet someone he believed was a 16-year-old girl. He has since been placed on administrative leave.

LAPD officer held after suspected child predator sting in Monrovia

A Los Angeles Police Department officer was arrested on suspicion of arranging to meet someone he believed was a minor for lewd purposes, abc7.com reports.

Monrovia police identified the suspect as Leonardo Arturo Ruiz, 30, who identified himself during the incident as an LAPD employee.

A self-described child predator watchdog group told abc7.com it had lured Ruiz to a Monrovia neighbourhood by posing online as a 16-year-old girl. The group said it handed screenshots of its chat conversations with Ruiz to Monrovia police before the encounter.

Video shared by the group shows Ruiz being chased by its members on multiple occasions until officers arrived. Monrovia police said Ruiz was taken into custody at around 10 p.m. on Thursday.

He was subsequently released, as law enforcement has a 48-hour window to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

The LAPD confirmed that Ruiz has been placed on administrative leave and that the department is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)