Overview
- A man identified by police as LAPD officer Leonardo A. Ruiz was detained by a civilian predator‑hunting group that says it posed online as a 16‑year‑old and then handed him to Monrovia officers.
- Monrovia police arrested Ruiz on suspicion of arranging a meeting with a minor for lewd purposes under California Penal Code 288.4 and released him pending further investigation.
- Video posted by the group shows members chasing, tackling and holding the man, then Monrovia police taking him into custody while an LAPD badge appears on a phone screen.
- The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it is cooperating with the probe, said internal affairs has interviewed the group’s leader, and indicated the department could pursue administrative and criminal reviews.
- Civilian sting operations like this one raise legal and safety questions because their videos can prompt investigations but may also raise issues about entrapment, evidence reliability and public safety.