Latest news with #HermosaBeachPoliceDepartment
Los Angeles Times
06-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Police investigate hidden cameras found in Hermosa Beach dance studio bathrooms
Police are investigating the discovery of hidden cameras in bathrooms at School of Dance and Music in Hermosa Beach. Police are searching for the person who hid multiple cameras in a Hermosa Beach dance studio bathroom used by children, parents and employees. A parent made the disturbing discovery Saturday morning at the dance studio in the 1100 block of Aviation Boulevard, the Hermosa Beach Police Department announced in a news release. Police officers arrived at the studio around 9:30 a.m. and found that multiple cameras were hidden in bathrooms at the studio. The parent who found the cameras turned them over to staff who then contacted police, according to authorities. The bathrooms, which are used by parents, students and employees, are unisex. Students who attend the dance studio range from 2 to 18 years old, police said. 'We understand the concern this incident may cause in our community — particularly among parents and families — and we want to assure residents that we are addressing this matter with the utmost seriousness,' the Hermosa Beach Police Department said in a statement. The owner of School of Dance and Music, Liliana Somma, confirmed with news station ABC7 that the cameras were located at her business. She said that she has lost some customers due to the incident. Somma noted that she has been in business for 25 years and that the studio has more than a thousand students. Somma told the news station that she has hired a company to inspect for other hidden devices at her business. 'Also, we bought these regular sweeping devices that we're going to be doing throughout the day, which I think everyone should be doing,' Somma told the news station. 'But that's what we're going to be doing. That's newly purchased. We also added cameras in the hallway so we can see who is coming in and out of the studio itself.' Anyone with information can contact detectives at the Hermosa Beach Police Department at (310) 318-0360. Sign up for Essential California The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
04-04-2025
- Los Angeles Times
South Bay heckler who spewed vulgarities at women is protected by 1st Amendment, police say
For months, a man has been pestering residents in the South Bay's beach cities with offensive remarks and vulgar language while filming the altercations and posting the videos on social media. The disturbances have upset residents, prompting complaints to local police who have had little recourse because his speech is protected by the 1st Amendment and no victims came forward. On Thursday, Hermosa Beach police announced a resolution to the unusual community problem: The man was placed on a mental health hold that could keep him off the streets for 48 hours or longer. The man, who police declined to identify, was most recently spotted posting videos at the Hermosa Beach Pier, on nearby streets and in some cases inside businesses, approaching women, using 'vulgar language and vulgar innuendos,' according to authorities. On Wednesday, the Hermosa Beach Police Department received numerous calls about a person who was live-streaming on Instagram from the Hermosa Beach Pier Plaza and Pier Avenue area around 1:45 p.m. 'The videos that the person was live-streaming included offensive and frankly disgusting content,' said Hermosa Beach Police Chief Paul LeBaron. 'This person was trying to seek reactions from passerbys and the community at large who saw the videos after they were posted.' When officers arrived at the pier the man was gone and no one identified themselves as a victim of any crime. The videos that the man posted online showed that he was trying to provoke a reaction, but 'none of the videos depicted a crime that we were able to pursue without a victim who was being targeted,' LeBaron said. Around 3 p.m., the police department received another round of calls about a similar disturbance at the pier plaza. On Instagram, around the same time, the same man was shown live-streaming until someone apparently took his phone away and the live stream ended. It's unclear who took the phone or what happened to it, however; officials are investigating the loss of the phone. Police said a group of citizens had surrounded the man at the pier plaza and responding officers were able to intervene. Once again, no victims came forward and the responding officers were not able to take any enforcement action. The man eventually left the area. Early Thursday morning, the same man had an interaction with the Redondo Beach police and was taken to a hospital, where he is being held for a mental health evaluation. Mental health holds are typically for 48 hours but can be extended depending on the case, officials said. 'If he does choose to come back to Hermosa Beach, our officers know who he is,' and can contact the mobile mental health and crisis response team, HB Cares, LeBaron said. The Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach police departments have also had contact with the same man causing similar disturbances in their communities. 'Their investigations have also shown that no crimes have been determined and no victims have stepped up to say there were crimes based on their interactions with this person,' LeBaron said. The police chief said he knows community members are frustrated that the man can't be arrested for harassment. 'The short answer is speech, even the vulgar and disgusting speech that this guy is using, is protected by our Constitution,' he said. 'There is no actual crime of harassment, and if there were, we would certainly enforce it.' Based on the film interactions, if a victim came forward, the man could be investigated for fighting or provoking a fight, willfully and maliciously disturbing another person or uttering offensive words likely to provoke immediate violent reactions — all offenses that, police say, are citable misdemeanors and would not lead to jail time. Police are asking any victims approached by this man to contact them at (310) 318-0360. 'What we really want to avoid, or encourage people to avoid, is this vigilante mentality that [the community] needs to take the law into their own hands,' LeBaron said. 'It doesn't help.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police investigate live streamer's disturbing videos at L.A. County beach cities
Police are investigating multiple calls from concerned South Bay residents about a man recording himself saying obscene things to women and posting the videos on social media. 'The Hermosa Beach Police Department is aware of multiple videos circulating on social media of an individual who has been live streaming throughout the city,' the Department stated in its post on Instagram Wednesday. 'We have viewed and documented these videos.' A viewer who only wanted to be identified as 'Gregory' told KTLA in an email that they witnessed the man on the Hermosa Beach Pier trying to get a reaction out of anyone he could. 'When they would react adversely, he would run away and exclaim, 'ASSAULT!' I had my family patronizing one of the local businesses and I had them wait inside until this man had moved on,' Gregory wrote. After flagging down police, Gregory said an officer went after the man but claimed they couldn't arrest him due to First Amendment rights. In several of the posted videos, the man is seen following women and making lewd sexual comments as they go about their daily routines. Hermosa Beach police said that detectives are investigating the incidents and encouraged anyone who believes they have been a victim of a crime to call them at 310-318-0360 or to go to the Police Department at 540 Pier Ave. Police also said, 'In many cases, a victim must be willing to press charges in order for officers to facilitate an arrest.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
