LAPD Officer Arrested After Vigilante Group Sting in Monrovia

Online Vigilantes Detain LAPD Officer in Monrovia Predator Sting

A Los Angeles Police Department officer is facing an investigation after online civilian vigilantes recorded a confrontation claiming they trapped him in a Monrovia sting operation arranged to target individuals seeking illicit meetings with minors. Reporting confirms that 31-year-old Leonardo A. Ruiz was taken into custody by local police on Thursday evening following a foot chase along the 300 block of West Olive Avenue.

The incident brings the controversial phenomenon of online predator-hunting groups into focus. The group responsible, operating under the social media handle Yn_vs_preds, posted video footage to Instagram showing members chasing, tackling, and detaining a man they identified in chat logs as attempting to meet someone he believed to be a 16-year-old girl.

Arrest Details and Police Confirmation

Monrovia Police Capt. Sarah Corravabias confirmed via email that local officers responded to the West Olive Avenue location shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday. Following an investigation, officers arrested Ruiz 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. Corravabias noted that Ruiz was subsequently released pending further investigation.

Department rosters list Ruiz as an LAPD officer. When shown the video link and images by reporters, the LAPD issued a formal statement through Capt. Mike Bland. We are aware of an arrest involving a Department employee. We are fully cooperating with the investigation.

Inside the Instagram Sting Operation

Ashton Corona, a leader of the Yn_vs_preds group, detailed the mechanics of the online sting. Corona explained that he posed as a 16-year-old girl in an online chat group for three days before the suspect agreed to meet in Monrovia. He came to the sting location, Corona said, adding that the suspect attempted to flee two or three times before members subdued him. Corona confirmed he had no prior knowledge that the target was a police officer.

Video footage of the encounter shows a group of men chasing a fleeing man while shouting warnings not to run before tackling him to the ground. When questioned about his presence at the scene, the man initially claimed to be 17 before breaking away into another sprint. The sequence concludes as group members examine the detained man’s phone—revealing an LAPD badge displayed on the screen—just before Monrovia police arrive to place him in handcuffs. Corona stated that internal affairs investigators from the LAPD later interviewed him regarding the operation.

The Growing Divide Over Civilian Stings

The arrest highlights a broader, contentious national trend. So-called pedophile hunting groups fashioned after the television program To Catch a Predator have spawned across the country, utilizing social media platforms like Instagram to broadcast direct confrontations. While proponents argue these operations expose individuals, critics point out that vigilantes frequently take the law into their own hands, sometimes endangering themselves and their targets.