Monrovia police arrested an LAPD officer on suspicion of arranging to meet someone he believed was a minor for lewd purposes, authorities said.
Leonardo A. Ruiz, 31, was taken into custody just before 10 p.m. Oct. 22 in the 300 block of West Olive Avenue after a civilian group confronted him, according to KTLA. Ruiz identified himself as an employee of the Los Angeles Police Department, Monrovia police said in a statement.
He was arrested for an alleged violation of California Penal Code Section 288.4, which covers arranging a meeting with a minor, or someone believed to be a minor, for lewd purposes.
The arrest followed a confrontation with a social media-based group that describes itself as a "catch a predator" operation. The group, which calls itself Yn_vs_preds, alleged Ruiz traveled to Monrovia to meet a person he believed to be a 16-year-old girl, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Ashton Corona, a leader of the group, told the Times he posed as a 16-year-old girl in a chat group for three days before the person agreed to meet in Monrovia. "He came to the sting location," Corona told the Times. "He ran away two or three times."
Video posted online and obtained by KTLA shows Ruiz physically struggling with several men and attempting to flee multiple times before Monrovia officers arrived. At one point, a member of the group pulled out Ruiz's phone, which appeared to display an image of a police badge on its home screen, KTLA reported.
Monrovia Police Capt. Sarah Corravabias confirmed the arrest in an email to the Times. Corravabias, who is set to become Monrovia's police chief Nov. 1, wrote that Ruiz "was subsequently released pending further investigation."
Los Angeles County jail records confirm Ruiz was booked that evening and later released, according to KTLA. Law enforcement has 48 hours to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office (DA), ABC7 reported. No charging decision has been announced.
LAPD Capt. Mike Bland said in a statement to the Times that the department is "fully cooperating with the investigation." The LAPD told ABC7 that Ruiz has been placed on administrative leave. Ruiz was reportedly assigned to the department's Van Nuys Division, according to KTLA.
The arrest came in the same week as a separate LAPD officer arrest. The Times reported that Officer Anthony Gutierrez was taken into custody Oct. 27 on suspicion of kidnapping after he allegedly forced his romantic partner out of a Sylmar home at gunpoint. His bail was set at $150,000, according to LAPD spokesperson Lt. Elpidio Orozco.
The DA's office has not announced whether it will file charges against Ruiz. The Monrovia investigation is ongoing.
