La Jolla Light Crime and Public-Safety News: Nov. 7

Late night robbery leaves victim injured

In the late night hours of Halloween, a victim was robbed and hit with a miniature baseball bat by unknown suspects. Police report around 11:11 p.m., the victim was approached by three Hispanic males at 7800 Fay Ave., one of whom produced a knife and demanded: “Give me what you got!” The victim turned his cell phone over before being hit in the face with a miniature baseball bat and he sustained a bruised and swollen left cheek.

No one witnessed the incident. The suspects fled the scene heading Westbound on Silverado Street and are not in custody.

Ride-share driver attacked in La Jolla

A man working as a ride-share driver suffered abrasions and bruising to his face, back, hands and legs in an attack in La Jolla.

Police report around 12:52 a.m. on Nov. 2 on the 5700 block of La Jolla Mesa Drive, the victim was battered by five males, who were trying to get into his Kia Sedona minivan while he was working as a ride-share driver.

No suspects were identified or arrested.

Border Patrol arrests 11 on La Jolla shoreline

Eleven people were detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as part of a maritime smuggling attempt off the coast of La Jolla in late October, according to published reports. A panga boat was observed by a “concerned citizen beach-goer” around 8 a.m. Oct. 25 and dropped off a group of people on a beach in La Jolla. Border Patrol agents arrived an hour later and detained 11 undocumented people: three Chinese nationals and eight Mexican nationals.

DEA issues fentanyl warning

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is alerting the public of dangerous counterfeit pills killing Americans.

In press material, the DEA reports Mexican drug cartels are manufacturing mass quantities of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is lethal in minute doses, for distribution throughout North America. Based on a sampling of tablets seized nationwide between January and March 2019, DEA found that 27 percent contained potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.

In October, the San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force released its 2018 Report Card, which indicated there were 92 fentanyl-related deaths in San Diego County in 2018. In 2019, there have already been 92 fentanyl-related deaths in the County.

“That is 92 too many,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Karen Flowers. “The game has changed. Fentanyl is a killer and your drug dealer or best friend are the murderers. Drug dealers put fentanyl in heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and in that little blue pill you think is an Oxy 30. Fentanyl doesn’t care how old you are, where you live, your gender or your race. It will take you down no matter your tax bracket or school district.”

Fentanyl and other highly potentsynthetic opioids remain the primary driver behind the ongoing opioid crisis, with fentanyl involved in more deaths than any other illicit drug. A lethal dose of fentanyl is estimated to be about two milligrams, but can vary based on an individual’s body size, tolerance, amount of previous usage and other factors.

Flowers added if you or someone you know needs help to stop using drugs, call 2-1-1 and talk to someone or visit optumsandiego.com

Airbnb to ban ‘party houses’

Airbnb Inc. announced it is banning “party houses” in the wake of a deadly Halloween shooting at a short-term rental in a San Francisco suburb.

In a series of tweets Saturday, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky said that the company is stepping up efforts to “combat unauthorized parties and get rid of abusive host and guest conduct.”

Chesky said Airbnb will expand manual screening of “high risk” reservations that are flagged by its system. Reservations for one night at a large house, for example, might get extra scrutiny.

The company also plans to crack down on hosts who allow their homes to become long-term nuisances in their neighborhoods. Effective immediately, the company will remove guests and hosts who fail to comply, Chesky said.

Chesky said Airbnb is also forming a rapid response team dedicated to house parties. He didn’t say what the team would do that police don’t already do.

In 2018, the company permanently banned a guest who crammed more than 250 people into an Airbnb rental in Seven Hills, Ohio, for an unauthorized New Year’s party while his host hid in a bedroom.

In July, two people were killed during a party at an Airbnb in Pittsburgh.

— Associated Press

Police Blotter

Oct. 23

Petty theft, 7000 block Draper Ave. 2:30 p.m.

Oct. 24

Vehicle stolen, La Jolla Boulevard at Mesa Way, 9 p.m.

Oct. 25

Felony vandalism, 8400 block Camino del Oro, midnight

Residential burglary, 1800 block Caminito Monrovia, 12:32 p.m.

Oct. 29

Vehicle stolen, 7200 block Via Capri, 8:05 a.m.

Residential burglary, 5800 block Soledad Mountain Road, 2 p.m.

Vehicle break-in, 8200 block La Jolla Scenic Drive North, 5 p.m.

Oct. 30

Theft, 2000 block Spindrift Drive, 1 p.m.

Oct. 31

Vehicle break-in, 2800 block Cliffridge Court, 3:45 p.m.

Nov. 1

Petty theft, 500 block Westbourne St. 10:20 a.m.

Grand theft, 7300 block High Ave. 10:45 a.m.

Vehicle stolen, 9000 block La Jolla Shores Lane, 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 2

Felony vandalism, 5400 block La Jolla Blvd. 9 p.m.

Nov. 3

Commercial burglary, 5500 block La Jolla Blvd. 12:58 a.m.

Drunk in public, 1000 block Prospect St. 9 p.m. and 9:01 p.m.

Nov. 4

Drunk in public, 800 block Pearl St. 12:53 p.m.

Sex crime (other), La Jolla Scenic Drive North at Scenic Place, 8:40 p.m.

— Compiled by Ashley Mackin-Solomon from police and other local reports