The stabbing death Sunday of a man near the northwest corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue has prompted complaints from area residents and a promise by the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station to step up patrols in the area.
One of those residents, Stephanie Harker, emailed West Hollywood City Council members and City Manager Paul Arevalo today to ask that they do something about what she described as “the rampant and rapidly increasing crime.”
Harker included in her email images of homeless people sleeping on the streets and of blood on the sidewalk where the as-yet-unidentified man was stabbed in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“This is our situation pictured below and it is getting worse, not better,” Harker said.
“On any given day I could easily take pictures of used syringes, used condoms, human excrement, drug deals in process and transients sprawled out on the pavement or in encampments, that move back and forth across the city line on Romaine to avoid whichever law enforce team shows up. It is a crisis.”
Councilmember John D’Amico responded to Harker and shared an email from Capt. Sergio Aloma of the WeHo Sheriff’s Station:
“In light of yesterday’s tragedy and the fact that the suspect is still at-large, I will be meeting today with station command staff and others to discuss our plans on increased patrols of the east end (patrol personnel have already been directed to conduct increased patrols there). We know, residents have long been concerned about crime there. With yesterday’s murder I suspect there will be a new call for an increased law enforcement presence.
“The COPPS (Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving) and EPT (Entertainment Policing Team) teams will be tasked with coming up with strategies to address crime there. We will focus on bike patrols, foot beats and saturation patrols to augment regular patrols. Additionally, we will begin directing our training cars to conduct and log foot patrols there. ”
Aloma said he had been in contact with the Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau where detectives are “”cautiously optimistic regarding the evidence they have developed already and their odds of solving this crime.”
It is not clear the man who was stabbed or his attacker were homeless.
Detectives at the crime scene on Sunday morning said the man appeared to have been stabbed after an altercation near the McDonalds at 1133 N. La Brea Ave. just north of Santa Monica.
“Investigators learned that there was a verbal argument between the victim and an unknown person,” Bracks said. “The verbal argument escalated into a physical altercation. During the altercation, the victim was stabbed at least one time on his upper body.”
Someone at the scene later this morning told WEHOville that there was a blood trail from La Brea around the corner to Santa Monica Boulevard, and a pool of blood just outside the bus stop on the north west corner of Santa Monica and La Brea.
The man was found on the sidewalk behind that bus stop, which is in in front of The Dylan apartment building at 7111 Santa Monica Blvd.
Paramedics rushed the man to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Bracks said. The suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction and the murder weapon has not been recovered.
Sheriff’s homicide detectives have asked that anyone with information regarding the stabbing to call them at (323) 890-5500.
You must have just moved here. 52 years born and raised RAMPANT!
That corner is absolutely horrible. I lasted a few months in the Dylan before I broke my lease. That area is overrun by hookers, drug addicts, transients and the homeless. Nothing is being done.
Rampant? Are you kidding me? Let’s not overreact, people. Some facts need to be disseminated before we can assign blame and seek solutions. Worse yet, to create a movement around it – along the lines of letting your emotions dictate bad laws – is premature and potentially dangerous. And another things – re regulating 24-hour markets. This is EXACTLY what I wrote in my first paragraph. If bars stay open until four, it’s the places that are open late which will attract customers. I don’t see anything resembling what Judy Mann said. Every time I am here, the commenters here… Read more »
I don’t know how you can miss what Judy described. She sees it. I see it. And apparently there are a lot of others that see it. When you have lived in a city for 20+ years and you see it starting to decline in the last couple of years, you don’t wait until it hits rock bottom…you do something before it slides further south.
Joshua: You might be either naive or lucky. As a patient, tolerant, non-reactionary, non-worrying, practical person who has traveled the world and can sense danger according to my inner calibration, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to venture out on the east side. I’m cautious and alert in my own center city hood and in Spaulding Square which seems the only quasi safe place to walk. The residents there are vigilant. A year and a half ago I stopped walking errands to the post office and Gelson’s because it just wasn’t smart or worth the risk, likewise Trader Joe’s at Sunset… Read more »
I’m fine walking around on the East Side. Stop thinking your neighborhood is superior
Way off base.
West Hollywood is slowly becoming intruded upon by the bad parts of LA proper and needs to take action to stump the causes of crime.One thing to consider is maybe its time to restrict the operating hours of such places as McDonald’s and 7-Eleven and its ilk.Places that are open 24 hours or sell low-cost food will attract the homeless or low-live characters. I see this all the time anywhere I go in the LA area. The gay district in Palm Springs (Arenas Road)had a similar problem with a Circle K shop where druggies and the homeless used to hang… Read more »
Having a baby, I walk down to Target from where we live near Fountain/La Brea several times a week. I’d say 90% of the time there is some sort of altercation going on between Ralph’s and the West Hollywood Gateway, the bulk of it from McDonald’s to the bus stop. It’s safe to say, things have very much spiraled out of control. Police never get there on time, if at all. Sad it takes a murder for officials to finally take some action.
It always comes down to this ordeal with the homeless-doesn’t it?They’re a very belligerent bunch-they aren’t the meek that shall inherit the earth.I’m not at all certain that giving them free housing is going to solve the problem.This is West Hollywood-one of the most progressive cities in the world.Surely we can think of the right solution-the best solution.The solution that will actually work.
Why are there no cameras either at McDonslalds or on the street corner. Hard to believe.
There are cameras there, directly over the intersections,mounted above the traffic lights.As to MacDonald’s I don’t know.
No, Judy, the cameras were suppose to be installed but the city has not gotten around to putting them at that intersection
That’s crazy.That is probably one of the most dangerous intersections in the whole west side.Really bad crowd at that Target square.
Agreed. The Public Safety Commission is going to have their regular meeting at Fiesta Hall in Plummer Park at 6:30 , Monday, March 12. Please attend and bring your neighbors.
I just might be there.JM
She’s right.That corner across from the Target square is a terrible spot.That square is a real drug haven-attracts addicts and pushers. A really bad crowd.(Sorry I misread Stephanie’s name first time)
He’s right.That corner across from the Target square is a terrible spot.That square is a real drug haven-attracts addicts and pushers. A really bad crowd.