Crimes in the Fox Hills area have spiked in frequency in 2021, highlighted by a recent methamphetamine bust where police also recovered a loaded assault rifle.
The seizure started at about 7:30 p.m. on March 9 with a traffic stop on a vehicle in the area of Slauson Avenue and Buckingham Parkway. The two suspects gave officers probable cause to search the vehicle, which turned up approximately 21 pounds of meth, as well as both a loaded and illegally possessed assault rifle as well as two loaded handguns.
Upon further investigation, officers discovered that the pair were occupying a room at the DoubleTree by Hilton at 6161 W. Centinela Ave., and found an additional 61 pounds of meth upon search of the room.
The 82 pounds of meth seized by officers holds a street value of approximately $115,000, according to price estimates from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) department of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).
This incident is the latest in a recent uptick in crime in the area, tracing all the way back to the beginning of 2021.
On Jan. 17 around 6:20 p.m., dispatchers received a radio call of an armed robbery that had just occurred on Green Valley Circle just east of Sepulveda Boulevard. According to the Culver City Police Department press release on the incident, three suspects pulled up in an older Grey or Beigel sedan (Unknown make or model) with an inoperable front right headlight next to the victim, who was sitting on a bus bench.
“The rear passenger pointed a black handgun at the victim and demanded the victim’s jacket and belt,” the release explained. “In fear for his life, the victim handed the suspects his property. The suspects then drove away northbound on Sepulveda Boulevard and out of sight.”
The first suspect was described as a black male between 17 and 18 years old wearing a blue jacket. No other description was given.
The second was a black male in the range of 22 to 24 years old. He is described as having a thin build, ear piercings, black twist style hair, and was wearing a white shirt. The third suspect was only described as a 25 year old male.
That same night at about 10:47, CCPD received a call from a female victim reporting an armed carjacking at 6221 Bristol Pkwy.
The suspect “pointed a black handgun at her, and said, ‘Give me everything you have,’” police stated.
“The suspect then snatched the victim’s phone out of her hand and demanded her car keys. In fear for her life, the victim gave the suspect her car keys and the suspect drove away in the victim’s vehicle.”
While the suspect was not located, Culver City police officers were able to locate the victim’s unoccupied vehicle in the city of Los Angeles within minutes of receiving the call.
Additionally, a potential homicide in Culver City is still under investigation by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. On Jan. 13, dispatch received two calls around 2:30 a.m. about a man yelling in distress while bleeding profusely. A third caller explained to dispatch that the man was “banging on the locked doors and attempting to enter the business” at 6300 Slauson Ave. while officers were in route to the scene.
Upon arrival, police were greeted with the subject, who was only dressed in his underwear, had a significant amount of blood on his body, and was making incoherent statements.
Police suspected that the subject was under the influence of a controlled substance, and were forced to restrain and handcuff the subject in order to render aid. He was transported to a local hospital to treat his injuries, but died three days later.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau is conducting the death
investigation at the request of the Culver City Police Department. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Has been notified and is monitoring.
The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner will determined the cause of death. Additional information will be disseminated when it’s available.
Feb. 7 saw another attempted robbery in the area. At about 4:30 p.m., CCPD received a radio call regarding a female victim being assaulted near the intersection of Green Valley Circle and Bristol Parkway. The victim explained that she saw a man walking down the sidewalk towards her, so she moved out of the way to attempt to allow him to pass.
However, he moved over in front of her, and continued to mirror her actions as they continued walking.
“As the suspect got closer to the victim, he yelled at her demanding her cell phone. Before the victim could respond, the suspect knocked her to the ground and began to violently punch and kick her in the head and body,” the police release stated.
Fortunately, bystanders in the area were able to draw attention to the incident, causing the suspect to run to and enter a four-door beige sedan. The sedan drove tandem with a black SUV westbound on Green Valley Circle and out of sight.
Most recently, two unidentified suspects attempted to rob a 73-year-old woman in the parking lot of the Westfield Culver City mall.
Police report that the incident occured in the upper parking structure when the woman was walking back to her vehicle and the first suspect — a Hispanic male — attempted to take her keys and jewelry while demanding she “give it up.” A second suspect — who was a Hispanic female — soon got involved, attacking the victim and striking her on the head several times.
Members of the public with information on any of these incidents are encouraged to contact the Culver City Police Department.