In the latest of a series of sting operations designed to curtail prostitution and related crime along a blighted stretch of Imperial Highway, Hawthorne police on Wednesday arrested 45 men on suspicion of soliciting women for sex. The area, which borders Los Angeles International Airport and is less than a mile from the Great Western Forum and Hollywood Park, has been a haven of prostitution and drug deals for several years, police said.
John Beerling said Thursday. The men were lured into a hotel room off Hawthorne Boulevard between noon and p. The four were wired with hidden microphones. Two of the officers were on loan from the El Segundo and Gardena police departments because Hawthorne has a shortage of female officers trained in undercover tactics, Beerling said. As men drove up to the undercover officers to make an offer, a video camera hidden in a van across the street recorded each exchange. The camera followed the suspects to the hotel room where a group of officers waited to arrest them.
In each case, the suspect approached the undercover officer first, Beerling said. About a dozen men listed neighboring companies, such as Hughes, TRW and Northrop as their places of employment, Beerling said. Many were on their lunch breaks when they were arrested, he said.
All but two are married. Police said two other men were arrested on suspicion of robbery after they snatched a necklace off a man walking to work at a nearby restaurant. A woman also was arrested on suspicion of prostitution after she allegedly approached a male undercover police officer, who was attached to the sting operation.
Complaints from shopkeepers along Imperial Highway--especially since the Century Freeway has been under construction--prompted the department to focus time and money on ridding the area of prostitution, Hawthorne Police Chief Stephen Port said. But, Heredia said, he has only recently noticed a change for the better. But since they picked up the prostitutes, it seems like everything went back to normal. The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
