The crimes have renewed the debate about the effectiveness of West Hollywood’s security ambassadors, unarmed individuals who patrol the streets, in what the city calls a reimagining of law enforcement by relying less on sheriff’s deputies.
A group wielding weapons, including an assault rifle, were filmed robbing three people in West Hollywood this week.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the theft took place around 9:40 p.m. Tuesday in the alley behind the La Boheme restaurant. A man armed with what appeared to be an assault rifle and two women, armed with a handgun, robbed three people of a small amount of cash and beat one of them with a weapon, indicated the department.
Company owner Larry Block, who helps run the WEHOville website, which obtained the video, said it showed crime in West Hollywood remains a big problem. Earlier this month, a woman was shot dead in her apartment complex near the Target store on Santa Monica Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
“We don’t trust our city officials to put public safety first,” Block said.
The crimes have renewed the debate about the effectiveness of West Hollywood’s security ambassadors, unarmed individuals who patrol the streets, in what the city calls a reimagining of law enforcement by relying less on sheriff’s deputies.
West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne said after a post-pandemic spike, violent crime has been down in West Hollywood year over year.
“We looked at crime trends and what we saw was that more officers didn’t necessarily mean crime was down,” Shyne said.
He added that unarmed security ambassadors do not replace sheriff’s deputies and that law enforcement continues to be relied upon to investigate crimes.
The mayor said that currently West Hollywood has 59 deputies guarding the area. Companies say they want more.