On Dec. 17, 2010, shortly after 8pm, officers from the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) responded to a vandalism call at the Gay and Lesbian Center in the 2000 block of 4th Street. The preliminary investigation revealed that a male had pulled up in front of the location, exited his vehicle, thrown a rock through the window, and driven away. Approximately 15 minutes later a second window-smash vandalism was reported two miles away at Ripples Bar in the 5100 block of East Ocean Boulevard. The investigation led to a third vandalism reported from The Dolphin Bar in the city of Redondo Beach with similar circumstances and suspect description.
The investigation included search warrants, multiple interviews and a follow-up investigation by Long Beach violent crimes detectives and resulted in the arrest of 23-year-old Olivier Rodrich Saintvictor, of Rancho Palos Verdes.
On Feb. 8, 2011, felony vandalism charges with a special allegation for the hate crime were filed by the Torrance District Attorney’s office. On Sept. 20, 2011, in Torrance Municipal court, Saintvictor pleaded no contest to felony vandalism charges with a hate-crime allegation and also agreed to pay restitution to the victims. Saintvictor is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 11, 2011 and could face up to nine years in state prison.
According to a press release issued by the LBPD, when hate crimes occur in Long Beach, the department is committed to providing victims with immediate assistance through multi-service agency and community support, and these crimes are vigorously investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Anyone who may have additional information about these crimes or any other hate crime is asked to contact Detective Jackie Bezart at (562) 570-7250.
