University Park Blotter: Jan. 1 – 7, 2019
We were curious about what crime looks like in one Los Angeles neighborhood over the course of a week. We scanned crimes reported to the Los Angeles Police Department in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Crosstown is based. In the style of old police blotters in newspapers, our Crosstown University Park Blotter is a weekly rundown of crimes here. We include as much relevant information as we can find in the LAPD data. University Park is unique in that there are two law enforcement agencies patrolling the area – the LAPD and the Department of Public Safety (DPS). We are focusing on crimes reported to the LAPD, but we do link to weekly DPS reports below.
Jan. 1, 2019
4 p.m.
Robbery
2300 block of Scarff St.
Suspect, wearing a mask, knocked on victim’s door and invaded his home. Victim was 94-years-old.
DPS also reported 3 robberies, 1 narcotic related arrest and 1 suicide attempt for this day.
Jan. 2, 2019
2 p.m.
Vandalism
Adams Blvd. and Figueroa St.
A vehicle was vandalized.
4 p.m.
Theft
1000 block of W. 24th St.
Using a shaved key, suspect stole less than $400 worth of property from an apartment. Victim was over 60-years-old.
4 p.m.
Battery/simple assault
Hoover St. and Jefferson Blvd.
Multiple suspects forced a taxi driver’s vehicle to the curb and hit the driver with a weapon. The victim was over 60-years-old.
9:47 p.m.
Burglary
3000 block of McClintock Ave.
Suspects took merchandise from an unlocked store.
11 p.m.
Theft of identity
600 block of W. 28th St.
Suspect stole a student’s credit/debit card and attempted to use it.
DPS also reported 2 robberies for this day.
Jan. 3, 2019
2:10 a.m.
Burglary from vehicle
2300 block of Portland St.
A shaved key was used to break into victim’s vehicle. Vehicle was vandalized and the trunk was ransacked.
6:30 p.m.
Burglary from vehicle
21st St. and Oak St.
Vehicle was broken into and car parts removed.
DPS also reported 2 burglaries and 1 instance of fraud for this day.
Jan. 4, 2019
9 a.m.
Theft
1000 W. 37th St.
A student was robbed on the sidewalk.
3:15 p.m.
Theft
2300 block of Portland St.
Suspect took mail packages from victim’s dwelling. Victim was a student.
6 p.m.
Theft
900 block of Bloom Wk.
A student was robbed.
7:30 p.m.
Theft
2900 block of S. Vermont Ave.
A hardware store was vandalized and robbed.
7:50 p.m.
Attempted robbery
3200 block of S. Flower St.
Suspect swung fist and hit student with a weapon near Jefferson/USC Metro station.
DPS also reported several thefts for this day.
Jan. 5, 2019
11:30 a.m.
Burglary
1000 block of W. 24th St.
A student’s property was removed from an unlocked house.
2:30 p.m.
Stolen bike
700 block of W. 27th St.
A homeless suspect stole a bike from an apartment.
5 p.m.
Battery/simple assault
23rd St. and Estrella Ave.
Suspect pushed, swung a fist at, grabbed, hit with a weapon and knocked victim to the ground on a street.
5 p.m.
Stolen bike
2700 block of Orchard Ave.
Student’s bike was stolen from student residence.
5:08 p.m.
Criminal threats – no weapon displayed
3300 block of S. Figueroa St.
Suspect sent threatening email or text messages, threatening to kill someone.
DPS also reported robberies and one instance of identity theft for this day.
Jan. 6, 2019
7 a.m.
Vandalism – misdemeanor
600 W. 34th St.
Suspect vandalized a parking lot with graffiti, resulting in $399 or less worth of damage.
2:30 p.m.
Stolen bike
3300 block of S. Figueroa St.
Suspect stole a student’s bike.
6:10 p.m.
Battery with sexual contact
2700 block of S. Figueroa St.
Suspect touched and grabbed a student victim while the suspect rode by on a bike.
8 p.m.
Robbery
30th St. and Flower St.
Multiple suspects overwhelmed a victim who was over 60-years-old. They hit the victim with a stick and took his property.
10 p.m.
Stolen bike
900 W. 28th St.
A student’s bike was stolen from an apartment.
DPS also reported 2 petty thefts, 1 instance of obscene activity, and 1 sex offense for this day.
Jan. 7, 2019
3:50 a.m.
Intimate partner aggravated assault
Oak St. and 21st St.
In a domestic violence incident, the suspect swung a fist, hit the victim with a bottle, and used a vehicle against the victim who was their spouse or former spouse.
9:30 a.m.
Theft
600 block of Childs Way
Suspect stole property worth $950 or less, from a student.
10:40 a.m.
Assault with deadly weapon, aggravated assault
2500 block of S. Figueroa St.
Suspect, who was homeless and also impersonating a store customer, swung a fist, hit the victim with a weapon and threatened to harm a victim.
11:30 a.m.
Stolen bike
1100 block of W. 27th St.
A student’s bike was stolen.
6 p.m.
Theft
3700 Block of Watt Way
Suspect stole property worth $950 or less, from victim.
9:30 p.m.
Theft from motor vehicle
3200 block of Royal St.
A student’s clothing or jewelry – of $400 or more – was stolen from an unlocked car in a parking lot.
DPS also reported 1 HR dispute, 1 instance of extortion and 1 instance of harassment for this day.
How we did it: We looked at publicly available LAPD data on reports of crimes in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. For neighborhood boundaries, we rely on the borders defined by the Los Angeles Times. Learn more about our data here.
LAPD data only reflects crimes that are reported to the department, not how many crimes actually occurred. In making our calculations, we rely on the data that the LAPD makes publicly available through the Open Data Portal. On occasion, LAPD may update past crime reports with new information, or recategorize past reports. Those revised reports do not always automatically become part of the public database.
Want to know how your neighborhood fares? Or simply just interested in our data? Email us at askus@xtown.la.
