By Milan Rafaelov and Maxine Ibrahim
The LAPD arrested three suspects in the Valley College parking structure Tuesday and found a loaded firearm in their vehicle.
“We got a call from LAPD dispatch saying there was an off-campus assault, road-rage incident,” said Deputy Jorge. “The witness saw a white truck, gave the license plate and saw [the car] turn on the street here on Ethel [Avenue], possibly coming to Valley.”
Valley sheriffs identified the vehicle inside the campus parking structure and detained the suspects.
“One of our officers was able to locate a vehicle that looked similar to it, in the parking structure through cameras,” said Jorge. The deputies and officers went there, verified the license plate, and conducted a traffic stop. We detained them until the LAPD arrived.”
A handful of officers searched the white pickup truck while the perpetrators sat in the back of a police cruiser, in handcuffs. Officers escorted a number of students to their vehicles as they were leaving their afternoon class. A loaded firearm was confiscated, and at 11:23 a.m., a tow truck hauled the vehicle away.
“I think the move was maybe to go to the college because the individual was trying to escape from the victim in this incident,” said Detective Cheun from the Van Nuys Police Department.
Valley sheriffs have since increased patrols and an email was sent out to students, giving assurances that there was no further threat to the campus.