Residents of one West Hollywood apartment complex are breathing a sigh of relief as their “neighbor from hell” was arrested and charged with a felony and a misdemeanor this week.
According to residents who spoke with KTLA 5’s John Fenoglio on Mar. 20, the man had lived in the building for years but only recently began acting erratically. The residents did not show their faces in fear of retribution.
“It was like a light switch,” one resident said. “He went from being okay – albeit not a great neighbor – but [was never] like this, destroying the apartment, attacking people, attacking our door out front with a bar.”
“We’re just having to live with it for the last three months,” they added.
People living in the building, located in the 1200 block of North Fairfax Avenue, would call police frequently fearing for their safety, but they said officers weren’t any help.
“The police keep telling us there’s literally nothing they can do,” one resident said on Mar. 20. “They leave every time without taking action.”
That alleged lack of action changed this week when authorities conducted a lock out at the man’s apartment, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated.
“On Wednesday, deputies from LASD’s Civil Management Unit conducted a lock out at the location after an eviction process,” officials said in a press release issued Friday night. “Approximately 30 minutes later, [the suspect] returned to the location and attempted to re-enter his former unit and vandalized property at the location.”
The man, identified as Valentino Lopez, was quickly arrested by deputies.
Lopez, 41, was charged with two counts of vandalism and public nuisance, according to LASD. He remains in custody with his bail set at $100,000, according to inmate search records.
His next court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
Those looking for additional information on the situation are asked to contact Detective Zeff at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station by calling 310-358-4033.
