HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore announced today the agency will create a task force to investigate ``follow- home robberies,'' which have increased in frequency in recent weeks.
Moore said the department has identified 133 likely instances of such crimes.
The announcement came hours after 23-year-old Jose Ruiz Gutierrez was fatally shot outside the Bossa Nova restaurant in the 7100 block of Sunset Boulevard at 2:10 a.m. Tuesday, in what Moore said is believed to be tied to follow-home robberies. The heists involve robbers who follow people wearing high-end jewelry or have expensive vehicles or other belongings.
Moore said the victim was ``coming to the aid of a female who was being attacked'' when he was killed.
The Robbery Homicide Follow-Home Robbery Task Force will include robbery homicide detectives and resources from the LAPD's Gang Narcotics Division and Metropolitan Division.
``They'll work moving forward on identifying these individuals responsible and pursuing and bringing them before the criminal justice system,'' Moore said.
``The impact this is having on the sense of community, of safety, is profound,'' he added.
Moore said robberies in Los Angeles have decreased over a two-year period, but they're more violent than in the past, with more suspects being armed with firearms, and have ``the potential for matters to escalate to something that we saw this morning.''
He added that people should not try to protect their property when confronted with robbers.
``There's no item of jewelry or piece of property that they have that is worth their life, and so if they find themselves in such a perilous situation, to cooperate, be a good witness. ... Do not chase people, do not try to pursue people and do not try to take actions yourself other than to minimize the chance that you become a victim of the type of violence we saw this morning,'' he said.
He added that if someone notices they're being followed, they should not drive home and instead go to a police station and call 911.
'`Do not stop, do not make a confrontation with the individual. Instead, call us and let us come and help.''