MONROVIA, Calif. — A Los Angeles Police Department officer was arrested in Monrovia on suspicion of arranging to meet someone he believed was a minor for lewd purposes, after a civilian vigilante group confronted him at the meeting spot, Monrovia police said.
Source: New York Post, October 28, 2026
Monrovia police responded around 9:59 p.m. Thursday, October 22, 2026, to the 300 block of West Olive Avenue. After an investigation, officers arrested Leonardo A. Ruiz for an alleged violation of California Penal Code section 288.4, the department said.
The Arrest
Ruiz was confronted by members of a group calling itself Yn_vs_preds, which says it targets people suspected of trying to meet minors. A member of the group spent three days exchanging messages with Ruiz while posing as a 16-year-old girl, the group told KTLA and FOX 11.
When Ruiz arrived at the agreed meeting location, group members confronted him and detained him until Monrovia officers arrived. Los Angeles County jail records confirm he was booked that evening and later released pending further investigation.
No real minor was at the meeting. The person Ruiz messaged was an adult group member posing as a teenager.
The Charge And The Case
Penal Code section 288.4 makes it a crime to arrange a meeting with a minor, or someone believed to be a minor, for lewd purposes.
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No charges have been filed yet, and prosecutors have not announced whether charges will follow. Ruiz was released because law enforcement has 48 hours to present a case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, according to ABC7.
The LAPD said it is aware of an arrest involving a department employee and is fully cooperating with the investigation. ABC7 reports Ruiz was placed on administrative leave. The department has not publicly confirmed his duty status.
What Comes Next
The case was not started by law enforcement, and police must now independently verify what the civilian group found, retired LAPD Detective Moses Castillo told KTLA.
"The issue here is that this investigation was not conducted by law enforcement," Castillo said. "It was conducted by a civilian group, who now the police must independently verify all the information that they have."
Castillo said Ruiz could face two separate tracks: a criminal investigation into his alleged actions and an internal LAPD inquiry into whether he violated department policies.
"No charges were filed pending further investigation," Castillo said.
Sources: New York Post, October 28, 2026; FOX 11, October 27, 2026; MyNewsLA, October 27, 2026; Monrovia Police Department statement, October 22, 2026.