A homeless man suspected of surveilling and intimidating women at an off-campus apartment near USC over the weekend and illegally entering the building Monday night has been detained.
The man had been seen and caught on ring cameras by student tenants five times over the weekend, peering into the house through a window and loitering on the home's front porch.
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USC Department of Public Safety officers had told the young women that there was nothing they could do since he had not broken any laws, but Monday night things changed.
Students said the man broke into the house in the 2700 block of Menlo Avenue shortly after midnight, entering through a kitchen window or side door.
[iframe https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3733.9309772162974!2d-118.29260672398571!3d34.00370142029135!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x80c2c82e49dc590d%3A0xab685f74d36334b6!2sMenlo%20Ave%2C%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20CA!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1728425906841!5m2!1sen!2sus allowfullscreen="" height="450" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" style="border:0" width="600"]Ruby, one of the renters, told KNX News' Pete Demetriou her roommate heard the back door of the home open late Monday night and went to investigate.
"She did a double-take just to check after about a minute, and it was the man inside our house," Ruby said. "I believe as soon as she saw him, she started screaming and ran out through the back entrance and into the back and called the police."
USC DPS officers and LAPD responded, but the man was gone.
Tuesday, he was spotted by USC officers, who detained him and handed him over to the LAPD Southwest Division.
Officers are trying to ID the man, possibly to match him to other crimes, and to determine if burglary charges against him would be warranted.
DPS officials say they have responded to the home three times previously about the suspect lingering in the area.
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