University Park Blotter: May 1 – 7, 2019
Our weekly Crosstown University Park Blotter is a rundown of crimes in one neighborhood. University Park is unique in that there are two law enforcement agencies patrolling the area – the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and USC’s Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Read the crime blotters from April 24 – 30, 2019 and April 17 – 23, 2019. In the style of newspaper police blotters, we choose a selection of incidents, some criminal and some not, reported to the LAPD and DPS.
May 1, 2019
From DPS:
Extortion | 3 p.m. | 1156 Exposition Blvd.
“A student reported that a suspect attempted to extort money from him by threatening to post a sexually explicit video of him on a social media site.”
Suicide* | 11:38 a.m. | 27th St. & Budlong Ave.
A staff member died by suicide at her residence.*
*DPS confirmed the death, but declined to comment further.
Alarm activation | 4:12 p.m. | Ray & Nadine Watt Hall of Architecture and Fine Arts (850 Bloom Walk)
“A microwave oven caught fire on the third floor of the location and the fire was subsequently extinguished by a staff member.”
May 2, 2019
From the LAPD:
Lewd telephone calls | 7 a.m. | 2500 block of S. Figueroa St.
A suspect, who was the victim’s co-worker, sent the 33-year-old female victim lewd telephone calls using profanity. This incident was categorized as gang activity.
From DPS:
Suspicious social media post | 3:18 p.m. | 1236 30th St.
“A female student filed a complaint of a possible stalker tagging her daily on her social media account.”
Extortion | 8 p.m. | Troy Hall (3025 Royal St.)
“A student was a victim of an online scam.”
May 3, 2019
From DPS:
Possession of fake identification | 12:26 a.m. | Rock & Reilly’s (3201 S. Hoover St.)
“A student was cited for possession of a fake ID.”
Illness response | 6 p.m. | 1210 27th St.
“A faculty member was examined and released at the scene after reporting that he may have inhaled copper cyanide while working in a lab at the location.”
Person stuck in elevator | 7:22 p.m. | Century Apartments (3115 Orchard Ave.)
“LAFD responded to the location to free three students who were trapped in an elevator.”
May 4, 2019
From the LAPD:
Theft of identity | 7 a.m. | 3200 S. Hoover St.
Suspect used the credit or debit card number of a 20-year-old male student in the University Village.
From DPS:
Loud and raucous noise | 1:53 p.m. | 1161 29th St.
“Officers responded to a noise complaint at the location and found approximately two hundred students who were participating in a ‘house crawl.’ The officers then escorted the students to their remaining stops in an effort to keep the noise down and discourage drinking in public.”
May 5, 2019
From DPS:
Possession fake identification | 12:37 a.m. | Rock & Reilly’s (3201 S. Hoover St.)
“A student was cited to Judicial Affairs for possession of a fake ID.”
Damaged property | 12 a.m. | May Ormerod Harris Residence Hall (634 W. 34th St.)
“An intoxicated student damaged several chairs and electronic equipment inside a study lounge at the location.”
Sexual battery | 1:51 p.m. | Exposition Blvd. and Figueroa St.
“A suspect on a bicycle approached a student from behind and grabbed her buttocks while she was jogging near the location. The suspect then rode away and disappeared from sight.”
May 6, 2019
From DPS:
Welfare check | 7:05 a.m. | 1326 30th St.
“A welfare check was conducted on a student at the location after a faculty member reported receiving a disturbing email message from her. The student was unharmed when contacted by officers and she was cleared for release after meeting with a counselor at the Student Counseling Center.”
May 7, 2019
From DPS:
Suspicious circumstances | 1:51 a.m. | Sheely & Ofer Nemirovsky and David C. Bohnett Residential College (3201 S. Hoover St.)
“A student was observed on surveillance video removing another student’s bicycle from the location without permission and later returning it.”
Alarm activation | 8:57 p.m. | McClintock Apartments Building Two (1076-1082 W. 30th St.)
“A fire alarm was activated by a student who observed smoke upon entering the location and the source was subsequently determined to be burnt food inside an apartment.”
How we did it: We looked at both publicly available LAPD data and the daily log DPS of reports of incidents and 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 and DPS logs only reflect incidents 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 and the logs DPS makes publicly available on its website. On occasion, LAPD or DPS 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.
