Transit Services Bureau

Picture of a Deputy on a train. The deputy's should is towards the camera and the patch is shown on his shoulder.
TSB WEEKLY REPORT July 8 – Aug. 24 2023 1024 548 SIB Staff

TSB WEEKLY REPORT July 8 – Aug. 24 2023

TRANSIT SERVICES BUREAU WEEKLY REPORT July 8 – Aug. 24 2023

08/03

Vandalism (County Property / Suspect Outstanding)
A black male with a thin build, wearing a black hoodie and black pants, and pushing a shopping cart (suspect) approached an LASD/TSB patrol vehicle located at 2000 block of E. Imperial Hwy in the City of Los Angeles . The suspect threw a rock at the patrol vehicle which shattered the rear windshield. The suspect walked out of the camera view in an unknown direction. Deputies searched for the suspect but were unable to locate him.

08/02

Battery on Operator (Suspect Arrested)
A TSB Deputy responded to Valley Boulevard/Rowland Street in the City of El Monte regarding a battery call for service. The call stated a Hispanic male was aboard a bus and was hitting patrons. Before responding deputies’ arrival, the suspect fled the location. As the deputy was interviewing the victims to ascertain the situation, the suspect returned to the location and approached the deputy. The suspect was detained and escorted to a patrol vehicle. The suspect sat down in the patrol vehicle but refused to place his feet inside the vehicle. The suspect became combative, and a use of force occurred. The suspect was arrested without further incident.

08/01

Critical Missing Person Located
At approximately 1720 hours, TSB deputies responded to APU/Citrus Metro Passenger Station regarding a missing person call for service. Deputies arrived and contacted the informant (mother) who told them she was traveling northbound on the A-line with her son (missing person). When they approached the Metro Firestone Passenger Station, she stepped out of the train to discard trash into a trash can on the platform. She saw the train’s doors closing and the train continued its northbound travel. Her son remained on board the train. The informant boarded the next northbound train hoping to locate her son. She remained on the train until it reached the end of the line at the APU/Citrus Passenger Station, where she exited the train and looked for her son but was unable to locate him. She asked the Metro Ambassadors on the platform to assist her. She also informed them her son was eighteen years old but had the mental capacity of a five-year-old. They searched for the missing person on and around the platform but could not locate him. The informant described the missing person to the deputies and several possible destinations. The deputies initiated a broadcast of a missing person, who was at risk. The deputies then directed their partners to conduct checks of all the A-line train platforms and their surrounding area in search of the missing person. TSB Detectives arrived on the scene at the APU/Citrus Passenger Station and took control of the search. At about 2331 hours, the deputies
located the missing person at the APU/Citrus Passenger Station. They escorted him to his mother who happily confirmed that he was her missing son.

Criminal Threats (Axe / Suspect in Custody)
TSB Deputies responded to the Monrovia Metro Passenger Station parking structure regarding possible assault with a deadly weapon call for service. The deputies contacted the victim who stated while he was taking a break in the driver’s seat of his parked vehicle, when he was approached by a male adult (suspect). The suspect, who was unknown and unprovoked, began to yell at the victim and threaten to kill the victim with an axe. The victim was fearful the suspect would carry out his threats and appeared to have the means to do. When deputies arrived, they detained the suspect without incident. The victim positively identified the suspect as the one who threatened him with the axe. The suspect was arrested and transported for booking.

07/31

Train Versus Pedestrian
TSB Deputies responded to 92nd Street/Graham Street regarding a train versus a pedestrian call for service. A female adult went through the closed gate while the red lights were flashing, indicating an approaching train. The patient appeared to trip on the tracks, fall as a northbound train entered the platform, and fell under the train. Los Angeles County Fire Department responded and transported the patient to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.

07/30

TSB Deputies Assist Unconscious Person
TSB Deputies responded to Firestone Metro Passenger Station for a call for service regarding an unconscious male. Upon their arrival, the deputies observed a Hispanic male adult (patient) lying down on the ground. They assessed the patient and observed he had a weak pulse and shallow breathing. They placed him in the recovery position and administered one dose of Narcan (4 mg). The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded and transported the patient to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.

Assault and Attempt to Dissuade a Victim (Suspect Arrested)
TSB Deputies were contacted by a Hispanic female adult who said she was assaulted by her boyfriend while on the train arriving at Lake Metro Passenger Station. The suspect was identified and detained. The victim further stated her boyfriend attempted to prevent her from testifying in another case (not involving the suspect) where she is the victim of another felony assault. The victim sustained swelling to the side of her face and a bloody nose. The Pasadena Fire Department responded and medically evaluated the victim, but she refused to be transported to the hospital.

07/28

TSB Deputies Assist an Unconscious Person
TSB Deputies responded to Santa Monica Metro Passenger Station to conduct a patrol check. They observed a Hispanic female adult (patient) lying on the platform. Upon making contact, they noticed the Patient was unresponsive. They located a faint pulse and saw the pupils in both of her eyes were constricted. The deputies administered two doses of Narcan (4 mg). The deputies were able to get the patient’s breathing and pulse to improve. Deputies placed the patient in the recovery position. The Santa Monica Fire Department responded and transported the patient to Saint John’s Hospital for a medical evaluation.

Grand Theft (Copper Wire / Suspect Outstanding)
TSB Deputies responded to 19th Street/ Colorado Avenue in the City of Santa Monica regarding a copper theft call for service. Upon arrival at the location, the deputies met with a Metro supervisor who showed them the specific location where the incident occurred. Deputies saw approximately six ten-foot sections of copper wire were cut and taken by unknown suspects(s), valued at approximately $6,000.


If you have any additional information regarding the above incidents, please contact Transit Services Bureau Detectives at (323) 563-5207. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip by calling 800-222-TIPS or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

Crimestoppers logo. silouette of the L A skyline with the word CRIME on the left and the word Stoppers in a black box under the city. Los Angeles Region. Submit a tip and stay anonymous. download the tips mobile app. lacrimestoppers.org. 800-222-8477.
picture of a night sky, the Rail Road sign is centered near a rail road crossing.
TRANSIT SERVICES BUREAU WEEKLY REPORT – JULY 9 – JULY 14, 2023 1024 605 SIB Staff

TRANSIT SERVICES BUREAU WEEKLY REPORT – JULY 9 – JULY 14, 2023

TRANSIT SERVICES BUREAU WEEKLY REPORT – JULY 9 – JULY 14, 2023

7/13

Drinking in Public (Alcohol / Suspect Arrested
Transit Services Bureau (TSB) Deputies were riding a westbound C-line train approaching the Vermont Metro Passenger Station when they observed a male suspect drinking on board the train. The suspect refused to stop drinking. Deputies arrested the suspect without incident.

Assault with a Deadly Weapon Against a Transportation Worker (Knife /Suspect Outstanding)
At 3:31 PM, TSB Deputies responded to Atlantic Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Avenue, Monterey Park, regarding an assault on a bus operator in progress call. The male Hispanic adult suspect was detained and arrested. The victim (a Metro female bus operator) stated the suspect brandished a knife and began striking the plastic barrier to injure the operator. The barrier was broken by the suspect who fled on foot. The bus operator was not injured.

7/11

Robbery (Electric Scooter / Suspect Outstanding)
At approximately 9:12 PM, TSB Deputies received a call for service for medical assistance and assault that had just occurred in the 11000 Long Beach Blvd on the C Line in the City of Lynwood. The victim reported that, while on board the train, a black male, age unknown, and a black female, age unknown both wearing white shirts, tased him and punched him several times in the head causing him to lose consciousness. The suspects stole his electric scooter. The suspects were last seen leaving the platform entering the elevator toward Long Beach Boulevard and out of view.

07/10

Attempt Murder / Robbery (Suspects Arrested)
While conducting a patrol check of Monrovia Metro Station, TSB Deputies heard a disturbance on the platform and went to investigate. As they approached the platform, they observed a male white adult on the ground, lying in a pool of blood. The victim required medical attention but was conscious and breathing. The victim stated two male adults violently punched him in the head several times knocking him to the ground and causing him to temporarily lose consciousness. The victim was stomped and kicked by the suspects with a shod foot (steel-toed boots) several times while he was lying on the ground. The suspects also took property from the victim after the assault. With the assistance of the TSB desk, the deputies were able to locate, detain, and arrest both suspects. Both suspects were arrested.

Assault / Great Bodily Injury (Suspect Outstanding)
At approximately 11:30 AM, TSB Deputies responded to Culver City Metro Station regarding a
person bleeding from the head. Upon their arrival, they contacted a male adult who was bleeding
from the head. The victim stated as he was on the platform waiting to board a train, an unknown
male adult pushed him off the platform and onto the train tracks. The victim stated the attack was
unprovoked. The victim hit his head on the tracks causing an approximate 1/2 – 1 inch laceration to
his forehead. The victim was able to get back onto the platform and confront the suspect, but the
suspect boarded a westbound train and was not located.

07/09/23

Assault / Elder Abuse Allegation (Suspect Outstanding)
On July 9, 2023, at 2:05 AM, TSB Deputies responded to the 19000 block of South Normandie Avenue in the City of Torrance regarding a possible assault call for service. The TSB Deputy spoke with the victim, who stated he asked the MTA Bus Operator (the suspect) of “Bus 115,” whom he described as a male black adult, forty to fifty years old, approximately seven feet tall (no further details), for assistance in bringing his wheelchair onto the bus. The suspect refused to assist the victim. The victim boarded the bus with his wheelchair and traveled to a bus stop near Victoria Street and Figueroa Street in the City of Carson. After arriving at the destination, the victim asked the suspect for assistance in getting his wheelchair off the bus. The suspect initially said no, but then assisted the victim. The suspect and victim began to argue, and the suspect punched the victim. The suspect then boarded the bus and fled in an unknown direction. The victim received medical
treatment at a local hospital.

Crimestoppers logo. silouette of the L A skyline with the word CRIME on the left and the word Stoppers in a black box under the city. Los Angeles Region. Submit a tip and stay anonymous. download the tips mobile app. lacrimestoppers.org. 800-222-8477.


If you have any additional information regarding the above incidents, please contact Transit Services Bureau Detectives at (323) 563-5207. If you would like to remain anonymous, you can submit a tip by calling 800-222-TIPS or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.

Coffee with the Sheriff
TSB Coffee with the Sheriff 791 1024 SIB Staff

TSB Coffee with the Sheriff

Coffee with the Sheriff

Tuesday, October 25, 2022 – 7:00am – 10:00am

Santa Monica Downtown – 4th St. Metro Station, 402 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica

Join Sheriff Alex Villanueva and LASD Transit Services Bureau Captain Shawn Kehoe for some free coffee and pastries, and an opportunity to chat with them and your Sheriff’s transit policing team.

We’ll also have transit rider safety info and items for the kids.

For more info:
Instagram: @lasdtransit
Facebook: LAD Transit Services Bureau
Twitter: @TransitLASD

information wanted poster. Attempt to Identify.
Help to Identify Suspect for the Death of a Metro Passenger   806 1024 SIB Staff

Help to Identify Suspect for the Death of a Metro Passenger  

Detectives and Family Members Need the Public’s Help to Identify a Suspect Responsible for the Death of a Metro Blue Line Passenger  

On Friday, September 9, 2022, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detectives and Oscar Ayala’s family members asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect responsible for his death.

On Sunday, March 13, 2022, Oscar Ayala was riding the south-bound Blue Line train at about 5:55 p.m. The suspect was riding the same train. Both the victim and the suspect exited the train at the Compton Blue Line Station. There is no indication that they knew each other but as they walked towards the exit, they appeared to be talking. Just beyond the station turnstiles, the suspect assaulted Oscar who fell to the ground. The suspect then rifled through the victim’s pockets, took his cellphone and walked away northbound from the train station.

Compton Fire Department paramedics responded and transported Oscar to the hospital where several days later he succumbed to his injuries.

Oscar was a native of South Los Angeles and grew up near the Los Angeles Coliseum. Two years prior to his death, he moved to Compton. He was passionate about soccer and practiced the sport with his dad since he was a little boy. He graduated from Manual Arts Senior High School in Los Angeles and then attended California State University, Northridge where he majored in Botany. Oscar’s love of his life was his one-year-old boy.       

“He can hurt someone else the same way he hurt my boy, that’s why my family is asking for the public’s help to find this man so he doesn’t hurt others and my boy can rest in peace because he is also asking for help to find the man that took his life. The day of his funeral… so many people went, so many people knew him, he had so many friends, he was a good boy,” sobbed Oscar’s mom, Maria Ayala.    

Investigators have exhausted all leads in trying to determine the suspect’s identity and are asking for the public’s help to identify him. Anyone with information is urged to contact Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477) or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org/.

Press Conference

Women’s History Month: Detective Karen Velasquez 1024 682 SIB Staff

Women’s History Month: Detective Karen Velasquez

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continues to honor Women’s History Month by highlighting strong and courageous women while celebrating their accomplishments. Today we recognize #LASD Special Operations Division, Transit Services Bureau, Detective Karen Velasquez.

“All my life I have been into Physical Fitness and Nutrition. After graduating from Cal State San Bernardino with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science, my interest in Law Enforcement started after I read an article about a female Deputy Sheriff. She was very small in stature like myself and it inspired me to apply for a position as a Deputy Sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “

Detective Velasquez has experienced a multitude of great assignments since graduating from the LASD Academy in 2000. Her Career started as a Module Deputy who oversaw male Felons at the Men’s Central Jail. That experience helped as she transitioned into a Patrol Deputy assignment at Cerritos Sheriff’s Station in 2007.

Detective Velasquez’s desire to become an Investigator stems from her selfless need to help people who are unable to help themselves. Detective Bureau Supervisor, Sgt. Edward O’Neil says, “Detective Velasquez is highly self-motivated in her desire to be the best detective she can be. On top of being kind and outgoing, her Leadership abilities can always be counted upon as a mentor to our newer Deputies.

In reflecting upon the strong role models in her own life, Detective Velasquez is most inspired by her Husband and Daughter. Her husband is also a Sworn Deputy Sheriff who has helped reinforce the notion that through fortitude and perseverance; anything she sets her mind to is possible.

“Women’s History Month is a time for all women to collectively come together,” said Detective Velasquez. “It’s a time to reflect upon how our collective cohesiveness positively impacts everyone around us in the workplace, and also to the victims we compassionately help daily.”

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