One person was arrested Sunday after threatening Westwood Village ambassadors with a metal blade at the intersection of Weyburn Avenue and Glendon Avenue.
David Tunnell, a Westwood Village ambassador, said two of his coworkers arrived at the Corner Outlet around noon after receiving a report of a possible shoplifter. The person became increasingly aggressive and held up what appeared to be a box cutter before leaving the store, Tunnell added.
The Westwood Village Ambassador program works to provide a clean and safe environment in the district, according to the Westwood Village website. Safety ambassadors are trained to work with social services and law enforcement, acting “as a crime deterrent” in the neighborhood, according to the same website.
Tunnell said a bystander alerted a nearby police officer, who chased the individual to the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Kinross Avenue. Around eight police vehicles and 10 officers from LAPD and UCPD, including an LAPD helicopter, responded to the chase.
Terrel Maston, a sergeant in LAPD’s West LA Patrol Division who responded to the incident, said the person was arrested around 12:40 p.m. on Westwood Boulevard for assault with a deadly weapon. The individual was brought to UCLA Health due to an elbow injury, Maston added, but will be in custody of LAPD once released.
“He was injured – had a small cut on his elbow,” Maston added. “Unknown if it was caused when he interacted with the ambassador or with officers.”
Jeffrey Chobanian, the acting captain of the UCPD administrative and operations bureaus, said in a written statement that UCPD assisted LAPD until the incident was resolved, but could not comment further as LAPD is leading the investigation.
The Corner Outlet did not respond in time to a request for comment.
Tunnell said three other Westwood Village ambassadors responded following the incident, and everyone involved was safe and unhurt. Tunnell added that, while safety ambassadors respond to nonviolent incidents around Westwood Village, they rely on other agencies and law enforcement to address threats of violence.
“We look to be on time and beat our time every time when it comes to an incident, no matter how small or how big,” Tunnell said. “As long as you’re in the Westwood Village and you see a blue shirt (an ambassador) – we reassure your safety.”
