Information provided by Sgt. Kenneth Williams, Exposition Park Department of Public Safety
LOS ANGELES- When California Exposition Park Department of Public Safety officers received a call on July 14, 2021, that someone had broken into an electrical panel room at Bank of California Stadium at 1:00 a.m., they encountered a man damaging valuable electrical equipment. The man did not comply with officers' commands and instead threw a 10-pound metal object at them. After a physical altercation, Officers Jose Romero and Ricardo Gonzalez took Omar Montes-Lopez into custody. Damage to the electrical equipment is estimated to be $100,000. Montes-Lopez faces charges for allegedly destroying property and resisting arrest.
Exposition Park Department of Public Safety officers also encountered a combative person frightening those walking in the park, including employees arriving to work on July 28, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. The subject was near the Bank of California Stadium yelling at passers-by. When Officer Herman Watson approached the man, the man became verbally combative and ran into the street and into a construction yard where he ran up onto scaffolding. Constuction workers chased him down and away from the site. The man ran back into Exposition Park and assaulted an 84-year-old man who was walking in the area. After a struggle in which a use of force was necessary, Officers Watson, Trent Welker, and Sgt. Kenneth Williams apprehended the suspect and took him into custody. Officer Shonsie Island arrived and assisted with witness interviews. The suspect is identified as Steiner Able Zarate. He faces charges of elder abuse, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.
"Exposition Park Department of Public Safety officers work around the clock to protect citizens and to protect all that Expo Park offers the community, visitors and employees," said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) President Alan Barcelona. "These officers respond to crimes being committed, patrol the premises, and care about providing the highest level of security. It is important that we thank them for being there when officer assistance is needed."
